Essay On Immigration In The 1920s

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American History: The 1920s The immigration act of 1924 is one of the major milestones in the history of the US immigration policy. Also known by the name Johnson-Reed Act, the immigration act has created a permanent quota system, which it set up in the 1921 parliament. One of the major features of the act is that it limits the number of immigration visas to 2 percent of the total number of people belonging to each nationality in the US depending upon the 1890 census. Furthermore, the immigration act completely omits the immigrants belonging to the Asian origin. The act expresses the decision of Congress in exercising its privilege in determining by the legislature regarding the control of immigration rather leaving it to the international organizations. However, it excludes government officials or individuals visiting the US as tourists or temporarily for the purpose of business. The immigration act of 1924 reflects the popular sentiment of the contemporary times. It has a great impact on the wages, assimilation, self-government and racial constitution of the nation. The act also influences the geographic origin of several Americans. It has led to a…show more content…
The Immigration Act of 1917 set forth a literacy test in order to represent the victory and apogee of the long struggle by people in the hope for restricting immigration. The Immigration Restriction League states the major purpose of promoting the literacy test was to restrict the number of immigrants entering the United States on the basis of education. Although the Congress passed the literacy test legislation, President Wilson vetoed the bill on the grounds that it violates the principle of equality of opportunity through the exclusion of uneducated individuals. The law also states that vagrants, chronic alcoholics and people suffering from psychopathic inferiority could not enter the

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