US Immigration
The history of immigration in the United
States
3 main eras of immigration
 -1st was the colonies (90%English, Germans, and
Africans) -surge during the 1840s and 50s (Germans
the highest) NORTH AND WEST
 -2nd was was from 1850 to the early 1900s (Western
to Eastern (first Germans and Scandanavians) and
Souther Europeans 1890s to early 1900s South and
East Europe) E1900S SOUTH AND EAST
 At peak, 14% of US Population was foreign-born
(early 1900s)
 -3rd began in the 1970s and continues today
(Hispanics and Asians) LATIN AM AND ASIA
 -3rd began in the 1970s and continues today (Hispanics
and Asians)
 -Immigration dropped because of the quota laws and the
Depression and WWII
 But picked up again during the time after and surged during the
1970s
 -In 2006, Mexico passed Germany as the country that hs
sent the US the most
 -Next largest sources Dominican Rep., El Salvador (from Latin
Am.)
 -Asia was the largest source of immigrants during the 70s uand
early 80s / Currently the second largest
 -China, Philippines, India, and Vietnam
Timeline of US immigration laws
 1776 - Unrestricted
 1795 - Naturalization Act - Citizenship limited to "free white
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persons" residing in the US who renounce allegiance to former
country
1798 - Alien & Sedition Acts - President is given the right to
expel "aliens" deemed dangerous to country (only lasted a few
years)
1850s - Emergence of "Know Nothing Party" seeking to "purify"
the nation by restricting immigration and altering citizenship
requirements (lasted less than 10 years)
1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act - Fear of competition
from Chinese workers led to prevention of any
further Chinese entering the US
1885 - Contract Labor Laws - Prohibited contracts for cheap
foreign labor
 1892 - Ellis Island, NY set up to regulate immigration
 1917 - Immigration Act of 1917 - Further restrictions on
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immigration, expanding the classes of foreigners excluded from
US. It imposed a literacy test and designated an Asiatic Barred
Zone.
1921 - Congress establishes first quota system for
immigrants
1924 - National Origins Act reduced quotas of
immigrants deemed "less desirable", such as
Russian (Jews) and Italians (Catholics)
1942 - Bracero program
1948 - Displaced Persons Act
1952 - Immigration and Nationality Act - Consolidation of
immigration laws and abolished Asian Barred Zone.
1953 - Refugee Relief Act
1954 - Operation Wetback
Why Hispanics did not come to
America Previous to the 1970s
-Great Depression
-World War II
-And in the 1950s the U.S. government
sponsored a Mexican Repatriation
program which was intended to encourage
people to voluntarily move to Mexico, but
thousands were deported against their
will.
 1965 - Immigration and Nationality Act - national origin
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quotas abolished, annual limit imposed on visas for
immigrants
1980 - Refugee Act increased overall refugee quotas
1986 - Immigration Reform and Control Act granted lawful
permanent residency to over 2.7 million undocumented
immigrants AMNESTY
1990 - Immigration Act established categories of employment
and placed cap of number of non-immigrant workers
1992 - Chinese Student Protection
1996 - Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility
Act - imposted strict penalties against illegal immigration and
expanded definition of deportable offenses
Selected text taken from www.ailf.org
Important Ones
The peak year of European immigration
was in 1907, when 1,285,349 persons
entered the country. By 1910, 13.5 million
immigrants were living in the United States. In
1921, the Congress passed the
Emergency Quota Act, followed by the
Immigration Act of 1924. The 1924 Act
was aimed at further restricting the
Southern and Eastern Europeans,
especially Jews, Italians, and Slavs, who had
begun to enter the country in large numbers
beginning in the 1890s.
Quota Laws - Importance
 Immigration acts of 1965 and 68 eliminated
quotas but set up hemisphere quotas and
 then in 1978, countries were limited to 20,000
per country with a total of 290,000 for the
world
 Currently, 620,000 global limit with only 7%
from any given country but there are
exceptions
 -refugees are admitted if deemed to be genuine
 -preference is given for family members but the you count
as part of the quotas
 -there are some exceptions for highly skilled workers
U.S. Population
Native and Foreign-born
300,000,000
250,000,000
200,000,000
150,000,000
100,000,000
50,000,000
0
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
Migration Patterns and Trends
Family reunification accounts for
approximately two-thirds of legal
immigration to the US every year.
The number of foreign nationals who became
legal permanent residents (LPRs) of the U.S.
in 2009 as a result of family reunification
(66%) outpaced those who became LPRs on
the basis of employment skills (13%) and
humanitarian reasons (17%).
Data that confirms what we
learned
Since the removal of ethnic quotas in
immigration in 1965,
the number of first- generation immigrants
living in the United States has quadrupled,
from 9.6 million in 1970 to about 38 million in
2007.
1,046,539 persons were naturalized as U.S.
citizens in 2008.
The leading emigrating countries to the
United States were Mexico, India, the
Philippines, and China.
Why is the 3rd Wave Different and How
Would that Affect Cultural Diversity
The Immigration and Nationality Act
of 1965, also known as the Hart-Cellar Act,
abolished the system of national-origin
quotas.
By equalizing immigration policies, the act
resulted in new immigration from nonEuropean nations, which changed the ethnic
make-up of the United States.
While European immigrants accounted for
nearly 60% of the total foreign population in
1970, they accounted for only 15% in 2000.
International Migration –
Movement across country borders (implying a degree of
permanence).
3rd Wave Differences
As of the 1990s, however, women accounted for just
over half of all legal immigrants, shifting away from
the male-dominated immigration of the past.
Contemporary immigrants tend to be younger than
the native population of the United States, with
people between the ages 15 and 34 substantially
overrepresented.
Note: this is parenting age and they are more likely to have
children and more likely to be above the national average
TFR
Immigrants are likely to move to and live in areas
populated by people with similar backgrounds. This
phenomenon has held true throughout the history of
immigration to the United States.
3rd Wave by Country -Differs from 1 and 2
3rd Wave Changes By 2050
By 2050, non-Hispanic whites will account for 47% of
the population, down from the 2005 figure of 67%.
Non-Hispanic whites made up 85% of the population
in 1960.
It also foresees the Hispanic population rising from
14% in 2005 to 29% by 2050.
The Asian population is expected to more than triple
by 2050.
Overall, the population of the United States is due to
rise from 296 million in 2005 to 438 million in 2050,
with 82% of the increase from immigrants.
Composition by Age of People in
America
3rd Wave Changes - Urban
In 35 of the country's 50 largest cities, nonHispanic whites were at the last census or are
predicted to be in the minority.
In California, non-Hispanic whites slipped
from 80% of the state's population in 1970 to
42.3% in 2008.
Asians Passing Hispanics
Demographics of US – Past,
Present and Future
Political Consequences - Future
How would all of this Affect
Culture Pattern?
How do older Americans differ from younger
Americans?
Why Would the Cultural Views of
Americans Differ because of Age?
What is an American?
Why would this likely be different for those
who grew up in the 1960s?
How is the younger generation different?
Why are they likely to have differing views on
America, culture, immigration, tolerance, and
politics?
Culture Patterns and Migration
Early immigrant groups dominate the rural
areas
Later immigrant groups in or around cities
Chain migration to set areas / cities
Minorities are concentrated at all levels regional
and urban
Why would Differing Culture or Ethnic
Groups End Up in Differing Areas of the US
Rural areas
Hostility to new groups
Lack of an incentive as well as an incentive to
move to certain areas
Changes in the US economy and job sectors
over time
Historical events and available transportation
routes
Something innate to the group
Chain migration
Groups
Baptists
Lutherans
Mormons
Catholics
Hispanics
Asians
African Americans
Europeans
Mystery Region
-Region to which the most African Americans
are moving now
-First rise in Hispanic population has been
happening during the last 20 or so years
-Last 50 years, area went from 50% urban to
70% urban and continues to rise
-Economically developing but still lags
-Many new agriculture jobs and much of the
new manufacturing jobs in America go here
Internal Migration Patterns
Migration to the Cities
In 1790 only 5.1 percent of the population lived in
cities.
By 1920 America became majority urban
Immigrants now migrated directly to the cities
This also relates to the great migration as blacks in
America went from majority rural to urban during the
1900s
Also relates to Ravenstein
Post-WWII deindustrialization aka postindustrial
American – white flight to suburbs
How does the previous slide help to explain the
ethnic distribution of people in America
today?
-think about rural states and their percentage of
the newer ethnic groups
-think about cities and closer in suburbs versus
the further out suburbs and the rural edges of
an urban area
Interregional and Intraregional
Migration
 Internal migration can be divided into
interregional migration and intraregional
migration.
Interregional migration is the movement from a
country’s region to another region.
 Intraregional migration is the movement within
only one region.
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As Immigrants Came, We Moved
West and then West and South
Great Migration
Great Migration
 The Great Migration occurred in the U.S was
the mass movement of 1.4 million African
Americans that moved out of Southern states
and migrated to Northern, and Midwest states
in order to leave racism behind and seek job
opportunities.
The first Great Migration occurred in the years
1910 to 1940.
 The second Great Migration occurred between
the years 1940-1970.
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Growth of the Suburbs (PostWWII)
Reasons and Who:
In 1950, 23 percent of the population lived in
suburbs; in 1998, 50 percent lived there.
During this time, the majority of Americans
were non-ethnic Europeans, how would this
affect the demographics and culture of the
suburbs?
Fact: Non-Hispanic whites made up 85%
of the population in 1960
How many travel to the South?
Movement of Americans to the south is a
more recent event.
The south traditionally was more rural than
the north and less developed.
That has changed in recent years and as a
result, they have gotten more immigrants in
recent years.
Immigration is becoming a hot issue in some
southern states like Alabama.
Foreign Born Population as Percentage of Total Population
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
U.S.
SOUTH
8.0
S. Atlantic
N.C.
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
What regional trends do we notice?
Diversity is not everywhere
-least urban states are also least diverse
-South has recent immigration
Recession
Recent
Something Positive for Chicago
-Foreign College Students
How is Immigration related to
Culture – What did we Learn?
List:
Relate Culture Issue to CBR and
Intermarriage and Assimilation
Now relate this to our migration
patterns in the USA
Summary
Remittances
Remittances
Remittances
# of International Migrants
Rural to Urban in LDCs
Possible Effects of Migration for
the Destination Countries
resistance
 “In the past 50 years, polling data have charted a
deepening opposition to immigration, linked in
part, it appears, to economic concerns.”
National Academy of Science study: Smith, James P. & Barry
Emondston, eds., “The New Americans: Economic,
Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration” (1997)
Countries with the largest number of immigrants
in the US
Country
Population in 2004
Total foreign born
34,860,000
Mexico
8,544,600
China
1,594,600
We are a nation of immigrants
because…
 56 million people
 20% of the population is either a first
generation immigrant or has one or both
immigrant parents.
Schmidley, Dianne, U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population
Reports, Series P23-206, “Profile of the Foreign-Born Population
in the United States: 2000”, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., 2001.
…Some definitions
 Resident : intending to stay
 Undocumented : lacking permission
 Illegal : prohibited by law or accepted rules
 Guest worker : foreign labor hired on temporary or
permanent basis (Federal Guestworker Program)
 Economic migrant: guest worker, foreign worker
 Resident alien: foreign national living and working in
the United States
 Refugee : seeking asylum to escape persecution
Mystery Country
-51% of adults with an associates degree or higher
-Median Age of 40 years
-Take in 10% of the world's refugees
-Lots of power at the local levels to make policy decisions
-Most recent immigrants are from south Asia and China
-Had previously excluded Chinese from migration
-TFR 1.6
-80% urban
-90% of the population concentrated in one part
-Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese is #1 grocery item
-Have some of the best tap water in the world