SIMPLE STATISTICS
How Many Immigrants in the United States today?
2015: around 1 million people reported to be legal immigrants in the United States. CNN reports that Mexico, China, India, the Philippines, and Cuba were the 5 most sourced countries of U.S. immigrants.
Where Are the Immigrants Living?
2015: CNN also reports that California, New York, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey are the most populated immigrant states, which all happen to be on the border.
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CNN gives an estimate of what a typical legal immigrant looks like in the U.S.: "New legal permanent residents of the United States are younger on average than native born residents, more likely to be female and more likely to be married."
This data presents to readers an idea of what is currently common for legal immigrants in the United States. The majority of are living in border states and coming from Asia or South America.
CNN Library. "Immigration Statistics Fast Facts." CNN, edited by Meredith
Artley, US ed., Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2017, www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/
immigration-statistics-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 29 Oct. 2017.
2015: around 1 million people reported to be legal immigrants in the United States. CNN reports that Mexico, China, India, the Philippines, and Cuba were the 5 most sourced countries of U.S. immigrants.
Where Are the Immigrants Living?
2015: CNN also reports that California, New York, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey are the most populated immigrant states, which all happen to be on the border.
----------------
CNN gives an estimate of what a typical legal immigrant looks like in the U.S.: "New legal permanent residents of the United States are younger on average than native born residents, more likely to be female and more likely to be married."
This data presents to readers an idea of what is currently common for legal immigrants in the United States. The majority of are living in border states and coming from Asia or South America.
CNN Library. "Immigration Statistics Fast Facts." CNN, edited by Meredith
Artley, US ed., Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2017, www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/
immigration-statistics-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 29 Oct. 2017.
KEY EVENTS OF IMMIGRATION
“Factory System.” Richmond Vale Academy, Richmand Value Academy, richmondvale.org/industrial-revolution/.
1820: The Industrial Revolution brought thousands of immigrants to the United States in an effort to find employment and start a new life. This shift in the workplace to emphasizing new manufacturing techniques provided jobs for those who were new to America.
The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation states, "The Industrial Revolution had begun, the slave trade was nearing its end, and America was pushing westward...immigrants found work on the trans-continental railroad, settling in towns along the way."
"Immigration Timeline." The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, www.libertyellisfoundation.org/ immigration-timeline. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
1820: The Industrial Revolution brought thousands of immigrants to the United States in an effort to find employment and start a new life. This shift in the workplace to emphasizing new manufacturing techniques provided jobs for those who were new to America.
The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation states, "The Industrial Revolution had begun, the slave trade was nearing its end, and America was pushing westward...immigrants found work on the trans-continental railroad, settling in towns along the way."
"Immigration Timeline." The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, www.libertyellisfoundation.org/ immigration-timeline. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
“7.3 The California Gold Rush.” The California Gold Rush - North Carolina Digital History, www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-antebellum/5425.
1848: The California Gold Rush lead many new immigrants to arrive in America due to the discovery of gold in the American River. Thousands of immigrants from places like China, France, Germany, and Mexico flocked to the U.S. in hopes of making a fortune. The California gold rush led to an extreme increase in the population and diversity of the country in a short period of time.
Harvard University Library Open Collections Program says,
- "In San Francisco, the population grew from 1,000 in 1848 to over 20,000 by 1850."
- "The California gold rush triggered a global emigration of ambitious fortune-seekers from China, Germany, Chile, Mexico, Ireland, Turkey, and France."
“California Gold Rush (1848–1858).” Open Collections Program: Immigration to the US, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html.
1848: The California Gold Rush lead many new immigrants to arrive in America due to the discovery of gold in the American River. Thousands of immigrants from places like China, France, Germany, and Mexico flocked to the U.S. in hopes of making a fortune. The California gold rush led to an extreme increase in the population and diversity of the country in a short period of time.
Harvard University Library Open Collections Program says,
- "In San Francisco, the population grew from 1,000 in 1848 to over 20,000 by 1850."
- "The California gold rush triggered a global emigration of ambitious fortune-seekers from China, Germany, Chile, Mexico, Ireland, Turkey, and France."
“California Gold Rush (1848–1858).” Open Collections Program: Immigration to the US, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html.
Lee, Erika. “Legacies of the 1965 Immigration Act.” South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), 1 Oct. 2015, www.saada.org/tides/article/20151001-4458.
1894: The Immigration Restriction League was founded in an effort to decrease the rate of immigration because many people blamed the country's poverty and high crime rate on the immigrants. In order to effectively reduce the amount of immigrants, the League pushed for a literacy requirement, which most foreign people would not be able to pass. Members of the League often wrote books and articles in order to alarm the public about the effect immigrants have on America and the dangers they pose to the economy.
Harvard University Library Open Collections Program explains the views of the League and states, "They associated immigration with the socio-economic problems of their increasingly urban and industrialized society - crowded tenements, poverty, crime and delinquency, labor unrest, and violence."
Immigration Restriction League. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ immigration/restrictionleague.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
1894: The Immigration Restriction League was founded in an effort to decrease the rate of immigration because many people blamed the country's poverty and high crime rate on the immigrants. In order to effectively reduce the amount of immigrants, the League pushed for a literacy requirement, which most foreign people would not be able to pass. Members of the League often wrote books and articles in order to alarm the public about the effect immigrants have on America and the dangers they pose to the economy.
Harvard University Library Open Collections Program explains the views of the League and states, "They associated immigration with the socio-economic problems of their increasingly urban and industrialized society - crowded tenements, poverty, crime and delinquency, labor unrest, and violence."
Immigration Restriction League. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ immigration/restrictionleague.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
“John Lawson Burnett.” Encyclopedia of Alabama, www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3645.
1907: The anti-immigrant sentiment remained consistent throughout the country, and as a result, the Dillingham Commission was formed. This Commission was an attempt to address the growing concern about immigrants in America, and was laid the foundation for all of the restriction acts to come.
Harvard University Library Open Collections Program explains, "The Dillingham Commission, which began its work in 1907, had concluded by 1911 that immigration from southern and Eastern Europe posed a serious threat to American society and culture and should therefore be greatly reduced."
Dillingham Commission (1907-1910). President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/dillingham.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
1907: The anti-immigrant sentiment remained consistent throughout the country, and as a result, the Dillingham Commission was formed. This Commission was an attempt to address the growing concern about immigrants in America, and was laid the foundation for all of the restriction acts to come.
Harvard University Library Open Collections Program explains, "The Dillingham Commission, which began its work in 1907, had concluded by 1911 that immigration from southern and Eastern Europe posed a serious threat to American society and culture and should therefore be greatly reduced."
Dillingham Commission (1907-1910). President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/dillingham.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
“The Geopolitical Origins of the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965.” Migrationpolicy.org, 2 Mar. 2017, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/geopolitical-origins-us-immigration-act-1965.
1929: The Dillingham Commission helped enact the National Origins Formula, which set a 150,000 immigrant limit every year and prohibited Asian immigration.
Dillingham Commission (1907-1910). President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/dillingham.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
1929: The Dillingham Commission helped enact the National Origins Formula, which set a 150,000 immigrant limit every year and prohibited Asian immigration.
Dillingham Commission (1907-1910). President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/dillingham.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.
Wolgin, Philip E. “The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 Turns 50.” Center for American Progress, 16 Oct. 2015, www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2015/10/16/123477/the-immigration-and-nationality-act-of-1965-turns-50/.
1965: It wasn't until 36 years later that the National Origins Formula was repealed, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signed by Lyndon B. Johnson, is what finally put it to an end. This Act re-allowed people from Asia and Africa to immigrate to the United States, and heavily diversified the country. There were many eager Asian immigrants hoping for opportunities in the U.S., so when the National Origins Formula ended, Asian immigration quadrupled.
"Historical Overview of Immigration Policy." Center for Immigration Studies, cis.org/Historical-Overview-Immigration-Policy. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
1965: It wasn't until 36 years later that the National Origins Formula was repealed, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signed by Lyndon B. Johnson, is what finally put it to an end. This Act re-allowed people from Asia and Africa to immigrate to the United States, and heavily diversified the country. There were many eager Asian immigrants hoping for opportunities in the U.S., so when the National Origins Formula ended, Asian immigration quadrupled.
"Historical Overview of Immigration Policy." Center for Immigration Studies, cis.org/Historical-Overview-Immigration-Policy. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.