Immigration and the Art of Temporary Tightening
Immigrants/ @Minnesota Historical Society/Flickr
Immigration History
In 1789 the United States Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation, and in 1790, the most pivotal document that would shape immigration policy for years to come, the Naturalization Act, established a 2-year residency requirement for "aliens who are free white persons of good moral character."
President John Adams would increase residency to 14 years, wanting to leave open the option of deporting those that were deemed dangerous, and then the Jefferson Administration would subsequently reduce residency to 5 years.
From 1820-1920, nearly 20 million immigrants would come to the United States. Millions of immigrants wrote home to their families, and as a result, many more wanted to come to this country.
This immigration has made the
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We are a nation of immigrants, and everything we have achieved to date, has largely been a byproduct of immigrants. Sans the Native Americans, every person here is an immigrant. The immense growth, expansion and strength our country has today was sponsored by millions of people, representing thousands of different flags, from across the world at large.
It is, in fact, hard to ascertain if there have been any negative byproducts of immigration, as that is all this country has ever known. With every con one might hang on immigration, there are likely 10 items in the pro column. The bigger question is what might the country have become without the benefits of immigrants? Diversity has made us indeed very strong. Our strength comes from the fact that we blend so many different cultures, and different people, together in a nation that is collectively a composite of every country in the world.
Why the United States May Have To Control Immigration More Aggressively in the Next