Actually, the things you stated were locally controlled, and had nothing to do with official government policy. Many people came over with no money at all - however they already had family here as a support group. My family came here in this manner, and my great great grandfather had nothing when he came here. He came with less than $10 in his pocket. Many people came here who didn't have families - just stated that they did.
" From 1850 to 1930, the foreign born population of the United States increased from 2.2 million to 14.2 million. The highest percentage of foreign born people in the United States was found in this period, with the peak in 1890 at 14.7%. During this time, the lower costs of Atlantic Ocean travel in time and fare made it more advantageous for immigrants to move to the U.S. than in years prior. From 1880 to 1924, over 25 million Europeans migrated to the United States. Following this time period, immigration fell because in 1924 Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924."
This shows the exact opposite of what you stated.
The following is from the US State Department Office of the Historian:
"In 1879, advocates of immigration restriction succeeded in introducing and passing legislation in Congress to limit the number of Chinese arriving to fifteen per ship or vessel. Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes vetoed the bill because it violated U.S. treaty agreements with China . Nevertheless, it was still an important victory for advocates of exclusion. Democrats, led by supporters in the West, advocated for all-out exclusion of Chinese immigrants. Although Republicans were largely sympathetic to western concerns, they were committed to a platform of free immigration. In order to placate the western states without offending China, President Hayes sought a revision of the Burlingame-Seward Treaty in which China agreed to limit immigration to the United States."
Until 1924 this was the only official limitation on immigration. |
