U.S Immigration Policy between the Founding Of the Republic and the Mid-1920s - Essay Example

U.S Immigration Policy between the Founding Of the Republic and the Mid-1920s Introduction Immigration has been among the major issues in United States of America since the country gained its independence through the mid 1920s. The issue of immigration is still a sensitive issue which is facing the country today mainly because many people from all over the world view the country as the land of opportunity where there is democracy, economic growth and social growth. This has resulted in an influx of many people migrating into the United States of America both legally and illegally. In order to deal with the negative and positive effects that accompany immigration, the United States of America government has over the years adopted policies depending on economic, political, and social issues that have been surrounding the country over the years. This paper will examine the policies adapted by the United States of America government on immigration between the founding of the republic and the mid 1920’s. It will do so by examining the initial conditions that shaped the path of immigration, how and why these conditions influenced the outcomes of controversies later, that led to immigration restrictions to fail during the 19th century. Finally it will establish the exogenous changes that led to victory of restrictions in the mid 1920s. Initial Conditions That Shaped the Path that Immigration Policy Followed During This Period There are various conditions in the United States of America that are considered by most scholars in the field of sociology and immigration as the motivators that shaped the path that immigration policies took during this period. These factors are categorised into economic factors, social interests in the country during the time, national values and the electoral setup during this time (Tichenor 18). One of the major motivators of the policymaking in regard to immigration during this period was the Economy. This means that policies on immigration were made depending on the economic position that the country was in. For example, if the economy of the United States of America was performing well, then immigration policies that were adopted favoured migration of people into the unites states of America since they would provide the much needed labour for the economy to grow. When the economy was performing poorly then policies adopted would seek to minimize immigration into the U.S with the aim of reducing the high unemployment rate that accompanies an economy that is performing poorly. This was the case in the 1920’s during the great depression where immigration policies adopted by the United States of America, aimed at reducing the number of people moving into the U.S. Another good example is the immigration act that was adopted in 1917 by the U.S legislature, where by laws restricted immigration into the country in due to the poor economic conditions that were affective the natives during the time (Tichenor 21). The other condition that influenced the manner in which immigration policies as proposed by pluralist theories were adapted in the U.S as proposed by pluralist theories was the social interests present during this time. This is so since most of the policies made greatly depended on the social interest of the American people due to the power that social interest has in the United States of America. A good example is the presence of social classes in the 1880s that resulted in restriction of Asian immigrants during that period. This is where class conflict arose during this period where Chinese immigrants were restricted from entering the country despite the fact that they would provide cheaper labour (Tichenor 24). The period under discussion was at a time where businessmen and corporation were rushing for economic prosperity. This was a time at which each American was chasing the American dream where everyone wanted to be successful. As a result, immigration policies were greatly influenced by business and huge factory owners who wanted to utilize the cheap labour that was provided by immigrants (Tichenor 25). As a result, immigration policies adopted between 1870 and 1900 had limited restrictions since business organisations took advantage of the cheap labour that facilitated the industrial revolution that took place during this time. National values present at the time also influenced the policy making when it came to immigration. US people are known to be liberal, a factor that has contributed to huge immigration that took place in the country during this period. Finally, the direction in which elections went, determined immigration laws adopted by the government. This is when a party that opposes immigration won the elections then it would adopt laws that put restriction on immigration. How and Why Did the Initial Conditions Influence the Outcome of Later Controversies Despite there being the presence of different initial conditions that influenced the making and adoption of immigration policies, no one factor contributed solely to an immigration policy. It was as a result of the combination of different conditions and controversies that resulted to various outcomes with regard to immigration some that are being experienced currently. However, the most effect they had was the failure of the restriction of immigration from Europe during the 19th century. Controversies emerged due to the immigration policies adopted by the United since the founding of the country due to the fact that initial conditions that were used to make such policies had changed. This is so since, the 19th century saw an influx of immigrants especially from Europe. It is estimated that over 30 million immigrants from Europe migrated into the US from 1836 to 1914. There were measures adopted by the United States of America government to restrict immigrants from Europe especially Italians, Jews, and Slavs who were considered by the government to bring poverty to the country since most of them were fleeing from their countries. However, such efforts to restrict such immigrants failed due to economic and social factors that had led to American viewing such immigrants as cheap labour and people who needed help fleeing persecutions. Exogenous Changes Led To the Victory of Restriction in the Mid-1920s However, the push for putting up restrictions on immigrants to United States of America was resulted in victory during the mid 1990s. One factor that was different with this period is the fact that immigration policies that were adopted during the mid 1920s were issues that were not taking place in the country; instead, they were happening in the outside world especially in Europe. The most significant exogenous factor that influenced immigration laws was the First World War. This is because, the US wanted to isolate itself from what was taking place in Europe thus putting restrictions on immigration. By imposing immigration restrictions, the federal government was trying to ensure that it would not have to align itself with any side. The government was also trying to avoid civil unrest in the country between people from countries in Europe who supported the different sides of the war. Conclusion Indeed the United States can be considered the country that has experienced the most immigration in the world. Immigration laws adopted in the country over the years has tried to ensure that immigrants would result in positive effects to the country in general. As a result since the founding of the United States of America to the 1920s the government has not adopted a specific policy on immigration. Policies have varied differently depending on the different factors that have been discussed. Work Cited Tichenor, Daniel. Dividing Lines: The Politics of Immigration Control in America. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2002. Print Read More