Ellis Island Quotas
In the beginning, if you could make it to Ellis Island, you would automatically be considered for citizenship, regardless of where you resided previously. After the Red Scare though, xenophobia still existed. Immigration numbers had increased and Americans became more and more anxious. Congress soon came up with a new law that would set a quota for immigrants from every country. The law was passed in 1921 and was signed by President Warren G. Harding. The quota was the United States would allow in one year three percent from any country of that countries population already residing in the United States. They would determine this by the latest census, which at the time was the census of 1910. Because of the time gap though, it gave out fairly inaccurate numbers. The law went into effect in 1921 and was renewed for three years until the permanent quota law was passed in 1924. The total number of immigrants allowed into the United States in 1922 was 355,825. United Kingdom, since it had such a high percentage in America, was allowed 77,342 whereas Belgium was only allowed 1,563. While this did not end the immigration to the United States, it severely limited it.
Picture Citation
www.historyplace.com/specials/calendar/docs-pix/wg-hardin...
Tifft,Wilton S. Ellis Island. Chicago: Contemporary Books Inc, 1990. (p. 116-117)
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