Guarding the Golden Door Essay Immigration has always been an issue in the United States for many years. Some people believe that everyone should have the right to move to the United States, but do not think of all the consequences if immigration laws were not put into act. It is vital to have these laws put into place because it creates public safety and health, jobs, and national security. In the book, Guarding the Golden Door: American Immigration Policy and Immigrants Since 1882 by Daniel Rogers, he discusses the topic of foreign immigration in the United States, what policies have been made and what beliefs significant people had on it. He states how some acts made the immigration laws better, some did not. There were worries that made…show more content… There have been all sorts of attitudes towards immigration of both politicians and the public prior in the Civil War era. In the beginning, the Founding Fathers of the Constitution believed that it was crucial for immigrants to occupy the homeland and overspread the United States with people. George Washington in particular thought it was significant for the physical and mental wellness of the United States people, and that everyone should be welcomed. There were several acts of immigration that happened prior to the Civil War, but there were not any laws put into place. The immigration laws were at a bare minimum. People were scared of federalism and other issues, not because of racial issues that happen in the near future. On the other hand, in the eighteenth century, there were some politicians who were not fond of the subject of immigration.…show more content… In 1868, the 14th amendment was passed where it granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States. In the 1850’s, a lot of gold was discovered in California, so Chinese immigrants moved there to send back home or to become rich. In the late 1860’s, Chinese men started working on railroads and thought it should be top priority discussing immigration with political leaders. There was a lot of unhappiness and discrimination about Chinese immigration among the political leaders. The South that it was wonderful because farmers and manufacturers thought they could get a slavery system set up with Chinese immigrants. During the 1870’s, Charles Somner, an extreme Republican, tried to get the word “white” removed from the 15th amendment in regards to naturalization. Frank Pixly, a Republican, was against Somner’s beliefs. He did not like the thought of naturalizing the Chinese immigrants, but that did not stop Somner from taking it to Congress. Nothing drastic really happened for the Chinese until ¾ of a century later. The National Labor Union changed its policy about Chinese immigration. At first, it was open to it, but as time went on, they viewed them as immoral, foul people. In 1875, an act was passed that if “any importation of any subject of China, Japan, or any Oriental country without their consent it’s