History of Immigration
Overview
Students who complete this lesson will create a time line that shows legislation that was passed
between 1790 and 1965 and examine how these laws affected Japanese immigrants.
Objectives
Students will:
• Create a time line and trace the history of immigration policy in the United States, from 1795 to
1965.
• Analyze legislation that impacted Japanese immigrants.
National Standards
National Geography Standards, National Geographic Society
Grades 9–12
• Understand the characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth’s
surface.
National Social Studies Standards, National Council for the Social Studies
Grades 9–12
II.a.
Apply key concepts such as time, chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to
explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of historical change and continuity.
Estimated Time
2 days
Materials
• resources about immigration laws
• pen
• paper
Procedure
1. Explain to students that prior to 1882, the United States encouraged open and free immigration. As the population grew and the economic conditions in certain areas worsened, the U.S.
Government decided to control immigration. Throughout the years, the United States has
changed its immigration policies to address concerns of citizens.
2. Have students research the history of immigration and naturalization in the United States. Ask
students to create a time line that shows all of the major immigration and naturalization acts
that were passed between 1795 and 1952. (View a sample of items the students should include.)
Never Forget ©2003
3. Tell students that prior to 1884, Japanese were not allowed to leave their country. In 1884, the
Japanese government signed an agreement with Hawaiian sugar plantation owners to allow
labor immigration. From Hawaii, many Japanese then emigrated to the U.S. mainland.
4. Ask students to look at their time lines and identify which immigration and naturalization acts
affected Japanese. Have students write a paper that explains the impact each act had on
Japanese.
Extension Activity
Explain to students that in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt reached an agreement with the
Japanese government that was termed the “Gentlemen’s Agreement.” This limited Japanese immigration to categories of people such as merchants, students, and diplomats. Laborers could only
emigrate to Hawaii, and they were barred from migrating to the U.S. mainland. Loopholes in the
Agreement allowed the emigration to the United States of the brides of Japanese laborers who
were already on the West Coast before the conclusion of the Gentlemen’s Agreement. Many
women who came to the United States after 1908 were “picture brides”—women who were married by proxy to men they had never met in person. Have students learn more about picture brides.
Ask them to read Picture Bride: A Novel by Yoshiko Uchida (Seattle, Wash.: University of
Washington Press, 1997).
Never Forget ©2003