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Contents
Reader’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
U.S. Immigration and Migration Timeline . . . . . . . . xv
Chapter 1—Lord Baltimore:
An Act Concerning Religion (The Maryland
Toleration Act)
A seventeenth-century Maryland law sets the stage
for future religious freedoms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2—Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur:
Excerpt from Letters from an American Farmer
A French immigrant writes about the advantages
of being an American . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 3—Treaty of Fort Stanwix:
Enacted in 1784
The United States agrees to give Native Americans
control of the western territory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
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Chapter 4—Act of March 26, 1790:
Excerpt; enacted by U.S. Congress
Congress passes a law that sets the tone for
naturalization laws for over a century. . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 5—“A Know Nothing” (Anonymous):
Excerpt from the Know Nothing Platform
An upstart political party reveals its platform . . . . . . . 40
Chapter 6—Homestead Act of 1862:
Enacted by U.S. Congress
An act to secure homesteads to settlers in the West . . . . . 56
Chapter 7—John A. Johnson:
Excerpt from Concerning Emigration
A U.S. businessman from Norway gives immigration
suggestions to the natives back home . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Chapter 8—Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882:
Enacted by U.S. Congress
The United States begins a ban on
Chinese immigrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Chapter 9—Mark Twain:
Excerpt from “Concerning the Jews”
A well-known writer tries to explain why
prejudice against Jews exists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Chapter 10—Jane Addams:
Excerpt from Twenty Years at Hull-House
A Chicago woman writes of her experiences as
owner of a house primarily designed to
help immigrants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Chapter 11—Willa Cather:
Excerpt from My Antonia
A novel accurately relates the difficulties experienced
by European immigrants in the United States in
the late nineteenth century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Chapter 12—Ozawa v. United States:
Excerpt from U.S. Supreme Court trial of 1922
An upstanding twenty-year Chinese immigrant
resident of the United States fails in his application
to become a U.S. citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
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U.S. Immigration and Migration: Primary Sources
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Chapter 13—Immigration Act of 1924:
Excerpt; enacted by U.S. Congress
An act to limit the migration of aliens into the
United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Chapter 14—Harry S. Truman:
Excerpt from Message to the House of
Representatives on the Veto of the Immigration
and Nationality Act of 1952
The president vetoes an immigration bill that
would limit the number of immigrants from
outside northern Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Chapter 15—Plyler v. Doe:
Excerpt from U.S. Supreme Court trial of 1982
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the children of
illegal immigrants had the same rights as everyone
else, especially the right to an education . . . . . . . . . 165
Chapter 16—El México and María Medina de Lopez:
Excerpts from Mexican Voices, American Dreams
Two Mexicans tell their personal stories of the
immigration process into the United States . . . . . . . . 174
Chapter 17—California Proposition 187:
Voted into law in 1994 by California voters
California voters approve a law designed to stop
immigrants without visas from receiving public
benefits from the state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Chapter 18—Patrick J. Buchanan:
Excerpt from The Death of the West
A conservative talk-show host and former
presidential candidate laments the rise in
U.S. immigration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Where to Learn More. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Contents
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