Key Legislation and Events Affecting Immigration and Voting Rights

These flashcards cover key legislation and events that influenced immigration policies, racial discrimination, and voting rights in the U.S.

Naturalization Act of 1790

Restricted naturalization to 'free white persons,' benefiting Europeans while excluding all non-Whites.

Homestead Act

Granted 160-acre plots of Native land to settlers who improved it, benefiting White settlers and allowing for early White wealth-building.

Morrill Land-Grant Act

Provided land to states for public universities, benefiting White Americans while excluding minorities from access.

Racially Restrictive Covenants

Prevented non-Whites from buying or occupying certain homes, preserving White neighborhoods.

National Origins Quota Act

First major immigration quota that sharply limited immigration from Southern/Eastern Europe.

Immigration Act of 1924

Created a quota system favoring Northern Europeans while severely restricting immigration from Southern/Eastern Europe and all Asian immigration.

Scientific Racism

The belief that Northern Europeans were superior and justified exclusion and discrimination against Southern/Eastern Europeans.

Eugenics Movement

Enacted forced sterilization laws targeted at 'undesirable' groups, including many recent immigrants.

Italian Lynching

The 1891 lynching of 11 Italians in New Orleans, demonstrating that they were not considered White.

Employment Discrimination

The practice of excluding certain groups from jobs, exemplified by 'No Irish or Blacks Need Apply' signs.

General Order No. 11

Grant's 1862 order to expel all Jews from a military district, showing their social and racial marginalization.

Padrone System

A labor brokerage system for Italian workers that exploited and controlled immigrant workers.

Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965

Outlawed discriminatory voting practices and provided federal oversight of voter registration, primarily affecting states with historical discrimination.

Section 4 of the VRA

Identified jurisdictions with historical racial discrimination, triggering preclearance for voting law changes.

Shaw v. Reno

A 1993 Supreme Court case prohibiting racial gerrymandering that created bizarrely shaped districts.

Partisan Gerrymandering

Drawing electoral district lines to favor one political party, often correlating with racial demographics.

Modern Disenfranchisement

Contemporary practices that restrict voting access, such as strict ID laws and reduced polling places.

Felony Disenfranchisement

Disenfranchisement disproportionately affecting Black, Latino, and Native Americans due to felony convictions.