Immigration Acts of the 1920s

There were many causes for the immigration acts of the 1920s--acts which limited the amount of immigrants who came to the United States. Firstly, immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world came in increasing numbers, taking the place of the traditional and somewhat accepted immigrants, immigrants from northern and western Europe. That these new immigrants were often of a different religion (Catholic) and spoke various languages sparked nativist sentiments amongst many American citizens. Secondly, this nativism had found a powerful voice in the Ku Klux Klan, and vigilante groups in other parts of the nation were just as strong. Thirdly, the closing of World War I promised a deluge of European immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. Many Americans reacted to this rumor unfavorably, and so Congress passed the Emergency Immigration Act of 1921. This law stipulated that immigration from European nations was restricted to three percent of that immigration in the year 1910. However, this law was ineffective in the eyes of nativists; nearly a quarter of a million immigrants from southern and eastern Europe still came to the United States each year. Consequently, in 1924 Congress passed the National Origins Quota Act. The overall quota for European immigrants was set at 150 000, and most of these vacancies were reserved to immigrants from northern and western Europe. Also, the base year for immigration numbers was changed from 1910 to 1890, a year showing less immigration from southern and eastern European countries. This system of quota legislation lasted until the mid-twentieth century.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams. America Past and Present. Revised Sixth Edition, AP* Edition . Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2003. 751-2. Print.

"Immigration Restriction Act." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar 2011. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1368.html>.

Marcos, Catherine, and Tracy Nguyen. "U.S. Immigration Legislation: 1924 Immigration Act." U.S. Immigration Legislation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar 2011. <http://library.uwb.edu/guides/USimmigration/1924_immigration_act.html>.

Web. 26 Apr 2011. <http://www.upa.pdx.edu/IMS/currentprojects/TAHv3/Images/immigration_act.jpg>.

President Wilson's Fourteen Points

Ever the idealist, President Wilson, backed by a group of around 150 experts on the political and social sciences, composed fourteen points--stepping stones for, supposedly, world peace. Points one through five dealt with the agreement upon international standards of peace and respect; they concern openly arriving at peace covenants, allowing free sea navigation, removing barriers to free trade, reducing the armaments of nations, and adjusting colonial claims, respectively. Points six through thirteen pertain to countries involved in the First World War and their respective evacuations, restorations, and general readjustments. Most of these were compromised, and only Belgium, France, and Poland were completely restored by Wilson's suggestions. Later, in the Treaty of Versailles, the country of Czechoslovakia was created in addition to Poland. Wilson's final point was perhaps the one he most promoted at the peace conference in Paris in 1919. The creation of a League of Nations was Wilson's shining star among his promotions of peace. However, due to discord in the Senate, many of Wilson's efforts went unachieved.

Wilson's own shorthand draft of his announcement of his Fourteen Points

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams. America Past and Present. Revised Sixth Edition, AP* Edition . Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2003. 727, 728-9. Print.

President Wilson's Message to Congress, January 8, 1918; Records of the United States Senate; Record Group 46; Records of the United States Senate; National Archives.

"Wilson's Fourteen Points." Future. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2011. <http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1914_timeline/wilson_14_pts.html>.

""Fourteen Points Address" draft." Web. 19 Mar 2011. <http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/s59.4p1.jpg>.

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Not long after the United States joined the war did President Wilson take action to promote American involvement on the homefront. While projects such as the Committee on Public Information and the "four-minute men" were relatively benign in their propaganda efforts, vigilantism and repression still flourished. Legislation reflected this sentiment in the Espionage and Sedition Acts. On June 15, 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act; this threatened sentences of up to twenty years and fines of up to ten thousand dollars to any person working against domestic efforts to garner support for war involvement. The act also would imprison violators if they were found aiding enemy nations and allowed the screening of mail. The following year brought the passage of the Sedition Act, which brought harsher penalties to citizens who spoke out against government actions during the First World War. It is now easy to see that these measures were slightly extreme, and much of the apparent danger was attributed to the growing Red Scare that accompanied World War I. However, the United States government saw how vital it was to gather approval during this very controversial war.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams. America Past and Present. Revised Sixth Edition, AP* Edition . Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2003. 721. Print.

"Espionage Act of 1917." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2011. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1344.html>.

"Sedition Act of 1918." United States History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2011. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1345.html>.


Web. 26 Apr 2011. <http://explorepahistory.com/cms/pbfiles/Project1/Scheme34/ExplorePAHistory-a0m7l8-a_349.jpg>.

The Sussex Pledge

The Sussex incident was a microcosm of the American-German affairs relating to U-boat warfare during the First World War. A French passenger steamer, the Sussex received an unwarranted attack from a German submarine. The sinkings of the Lusitania and the Arabic still fresh in his mind, Secretary of State Robert Lansing  advocated cutting off relations with Germany; this new style of war was both surreptitious and dangerous, and moved many Americans' views on the war more in line with the Allied forces. However, the Kaiser was not eager to displease such a powerful force and potential foe as the United States. This led to his acceptance of President Wilson's petitions on May 4, 1916. Wilson had, on April 18, warned Germany that unless it stopped this warfare on passenger and merchant ships, the United States would indeed cut off relations. This Sussex pledge kept peace for a few months, but war was still imminent lest the pledge should have faltered. And the pledge did, when Germany decided that it gave them the best advantage to drop the pretenses of peaceful negotiation and declare unrestricted submarine warfare on all ships near Allied nations.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams. America Past and Present. Revised Sixth Edition, AP* Edition . Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2003. 712-3, 714. Print.

Wilde, Robert. "The Sussex Pledge." European History. About.com, n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2011. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/p/prsussexpledge.htm>.

"Sussex Incident." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/575672/Sussex-Incident>.

"Liberty Bonds." Web. 18 Mar 2011. <http://www.conservapedia.com/images/1/1f/Liberty_Bonds.jpg>.

The Roosevelt Corollary

At the turn of the century, much of American foreign policy was directed toward protecting its pursuits in Latin America. Theodore Roosevelt's canal project coupled with increasing interest in interfering with Latin American economies and governments added to the fear of European intervention put into writing in the Monroe Doctrine decades previously--a fear realized when many Latin American countries had to default on debts to European powers. Roosevelt was worried that these unfavorable ties to Europe would weaken the influence the United States held over these shaky Latin American countries. Consequently, he created the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which denied European intervention in Latin American countries but asserted American intervention if Latin American nations could not control their governments and economies.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams. America Past and Present. Revised Sixth Edition, AP* Edition . Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2003. 706. Print.

Theodore Roosevelt's Annual Message to Congress for 1904; House Records HR 58A-K2; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives; Record Group 233; Center for Legislative Archives; National Archives.

"Roosevelt Corollary and the Monroe Doctrine." About Theodore Roosevelt. The Theodore Roosevelt Association, May 2010. Web. 18 Mar 2011. <http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/rooseveltcorollary.htm>.

Roosevelt Corollary. Web. 18 Mar 2011. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0b/Roosevelt_monroe_Doctrine_cartoon.jpg/300px-Roosevelt_monroe_Doctrine_cartoon.jpg>.