APUSH Unit 3 Immigration

First Naturalization Act

1790

Alien and Sedition Acts

1798

First law restricting immigration (end of “open borders”)

1875

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882

Russia’s Communist Revolution

1917

 Immigration Act (creates “Asiatic barred zone”)

1917

Immigration Act (National Origins Quota Act)

1924

Bracero Agreement

1942

Immigration and Nationality Act (abolishes quota system)

1965

 Secure Fence Act

2006

“Muslim Ban” 

2017

1790 First Naturalization Act

The first U.S. law defining citizenship, which limited naturalization to “free white persons,” excluding women, enslaved people, Native Americans, and later nonwhite immigrants.

1798 Alien and Sedition Acts

A series of laws that allowed the federal government to detain or deport immigrants considered dangerous and criminalized criticism of the government, largely targeting immigrants and political opponents.

1875 First Law Restricting Immigration (Page Act)

The first federal immigration law, which restricted the entry of Chinese women and marked the end of largely open immigration in the United States.

1882 Chinese Exclusion Act

A law that banned Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States, making it the first law to exclude an entire ethnic group.

1917 Russia’s Communist Revolution

A political revolution that established a communist government in Russia, intensifying American fears of radical political ideologies and contributing to anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S.

1917 Immigration Act

A law that imposed literacy tests and created the “Asiatic Barred Zone,” restricting immigration from most of Asia.

1924 Immigration Act (National Origins Quota Act)

A law that established strict immigration quotas favoring Northern and Western Europeans while severely limiting immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and banning Asian immigration.

1942 Bracero Agreement

A temporary labor agreement between the U.S. and Mexico allowing Mexican workers to fill agricultural and railroad labor shortages during World War II.

1965 Immigration and Nationality Act

A law that abolished the national origins quota system and prioritized family reunification and skilled immigrants, dramatically changing U.S. immigration demographics.

2006 Secure Fence Act

A law authorizing the construction of barriers along the U.S.–Mexico border to strengthen border enforcement and reduce unauthorized immigration.

2017 “Muslim Ban”

An executive order restricting entry from several Muslim-majority countries, justified on national security grounds and widely criticized as discriminatory.

New France

French colonies in Canada and the Mississippi River Valley, focused on the fur trade and alliances with Native Americans.

New Spain

Spanish colonies in the Southwest, Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean, centered on mining, missions, and forced Native labor.

New Amsterdam / New Netherlands

A Dutch trading colony located in present-day New York, known for religious tolerance and commercial diversity.

Naturalization

The legal process by which an immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen.

Naturalization Acts of 1790 and 1795

Laws that limited citizenship to free white persons and established residency requirements for naturalization.

Sedition

Speech or actions intended to incite resistance or rebellion against the government.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Laws that restricted immigrant political activity and allowed deportation of noncitizens deemed dangerous.

Nativism

Hostility toward immigrants, especially based on religion, ethnicity, or nationality.

Irish Potato Famine

A famine in Ireland during the 1840s caused by potato crop failure, leading to mass starvation and emigration to the United States.

Know Nothing Party / American Party

A nativist political party that opposed immigration and Catholic influence in American politics.

Catholicism

A branch of Christianity practiced by many Irish immigrants, which fueled anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic prejudice in the U.S.

Ethnic Enclaves

Neighborhoods formed by immigrants who shared a common culture, language, or religion.

Tenements

Overcrowded, poorly ventilated urban apartment buildings where many immigrants lived.

Social Darwinism

The belief that economic and social success reflected natural superiority, often used to justify inequality and anti-immigrant attitudes.

Eugenics

A pseudoscientific movement advocating selective breeding to “improve” the population, often used to justify immigration restrictions.

“New Immigrants”

Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, including Italians, Jews, Poles, and Greeks, who arrived in large numbers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

“Hyphenated American”

A term used to suggest immigrants had divided loyalties, such as “Italian-American.”

Settlement Houses

Community centers that provided education, healthcare, and social services to immigrants.

Hull House (Jane Addams)

A famous settlement house in Chicago that assisted immigrants and promoted social reform.

Page Act of 1875

The first federal immigration law, which restricted Chinese women and targeted Asian immigrants.

Rock Springs Massacre (1885)

A violent attack by white workers on Chinese laborers in Wyoming, resulting in deaths and property destruction.

Xenophobia

Fear or hatred of foreigners or people from different cultures.

Americanization

Efforts to force immigrants to adopt American customs, language, and values.

Immigration Act of 1903

A law excluding anarchists and political radicals from entering the United States.

First Red Scare

A period of fear and repression targeting communists, anarchists, and immigrants following World War I.

Family Reunification

An immigration policy prioritizing visas for relatives of U.S. citizens and legal residents.

Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986)

A law that granted amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants while penalizing employers who hired them.

Homeland Security Act (2002)

A law creating the Department of Homeland Security and linking immigration enforcement to national security.

“Country Bans” (2025–26)

Policies expanding nationality-based immigration restrictions, reflecting ongoing security and political debates.