The
1917 Immigration Act increased the entry head tax to $8. People who
were now excluded from the United States included: "all idiots,
imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, epileptics, insane persons; persons
who have had one or more attacks of insanity at any time previously;
persons of constitutional psychopathic inferiority; persons with chronic
alcoholism; paupers; professional beggars; vagrants; persons afflicted
with tuberculosis in any form or with a loathsome or dangerous contagious
disease; persons not comprehended within any of the foregoing excluded
classes who are found to be and are certified by the examining surgeon
as being mentally or physically defective, such physical defect being
of a nature which may affect the ability of such alien to earn a living;
persons who have been convicted of or admit having committed a felony
or other crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; polygamists,
or persons who practice polygamy or believe in or advocate the practice
of polygamy; anarchists, or persons who believe in or advocate the
overthrow by force or violence of the Government of the United States".
The most controversial aspect to the act was the proposal to exclude
all "aliens over sixteen years of age, physically capable of
reading, who cannot read the English language, or some other language
or dialect, including Hebrew or Yiddish." Attempts at introducing
literacy tests had been vetoed by Grover
Cleveland in 1891 and William Taft in
1913. President Woodrow Wilson also objected
to this clause in the 1917 Immigration Act but it was still passed
by Congress.
The
1924 Immigration Act was even more restrictive. Under this act only
around 150,000 were permitted to enter the United States. As one of
its critics, Emanuel Celler, pointed out:
"We were afraid
of foreigners; we distrusted them; we didn't like them. Under this
act only some one hundred and fifty odd thousands would be permitted
to enter the United States. If you were of Anglo-Saxon origin, you
could have over two-thirds of the quota numbers allotted to your people.
If you were Japanese, you could not come in at all. That, of course,
had been true of the Chinese since 1880. If you were southern or eastern
European, you could dribble in and remain on sufferance."
(1)
President Grover Cleveland, explaining
why he objected to the literacy clause in the proposed Immigration
Act (2nd March, 1897)
A radical departure from our national policy relating to immigrants
is here presented. Heretofore we have welcomed all who come to us
from other lands except those whose moral or physical condition or
history threatened danger to our national welfare and safety. We have
encouraged those coming from foreign countries to cast their lot with
us and join in the development of our vast domain, securing in return
a share in the blessings of American citizenship.
A century's stupendous growth, largely due to the assimilation and
thrift of millions of sturdy and patriotic adopted citizens, attests
the success of this generous and free-handed policy which, while guarding
the people's interests, exacts from our immigrants only physical and
moral soundness and a willingness and ability to work.
(2) Henry Cabot Lodge,
speech on the need for a new Immigration Act that included a literacy
test (20th March, 1910)
Within the last twenty years there has been a great change in
the proportion of the various nationalities immigrating from Europe
to the United States. The immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland,
and from Germany and Scandinavia have gone down in numbers as compared
with immigrants from countries which, until very recent years, sent
no immigrants to America. The great growth in recent years in our
immigration has been from Italy, from Poland, Hungary, and Russia
and from Eastern Europe.
There is a growing and constantly active demand for more restrictive
legislation. This demand rests on two grounds, both equally important.
One is the effect upon the quality of our citizenship caused by the
rapid introduction of this vast and practically unrestricted immigration,
and the other, the effect of this immigration upon rates of wages
and the standard of living among our working people.
I shall not attempt to argue the question with you, but will merely
point out the number of persons who would have been excluded since
1886 if the illiterates over fourteen years of age had been thrown
out. During that period the number of illiterates who, by their own
admission, could neither read nor writer in any language, numbered
1,829,320.
(3) President William
Taft, explaining why he objected to the literacy clause in
the proposed Immigration Act (14th February, 1913)
The bill contains many valuable amendments to the present immigration
law which will insure greater certainty in excluding undesirable immigrants.
But I cannot make up my mind to sign a bill which in its chief provision
violates a principle that ought, in my opinion, to be upheld in dealing
with our immigration. I refer to the literacy test. I cannot approve
that test.
(4) President Woodrow
Wilson, explaining why he objected to the political and literacy
clauses in the proposed Immigration Act (28th January, 1915)
Restrictions like these, adopted earlier in our history as a Nation,
would very materially have altered the course and cooled the humane
ardors of our politics. The right of political asylum has brought
to this country many a man of noble character and elevated purpose
who was marked as an outlaw in his own less fortunate land.
The literacy test and the tests and restrictions which accompany it
constitute an even more radical change in the policy of the Nation.
Hitherto we have generously kept our doors open to all who were not
unfitted by reason of disease or incapacity for self-support or such
personal records and antecedents as were likely to make them a menace
to our peace and order or to the wholesome and essential relationships
of life. In this bill it is proposed to turn away from tests of character
and of quality and impose tests which exclude and restrict, the the
new tests here embodied are not tests of quality or of character or
of personal fitness, but tests of opportunity. Those who come seeking
opportunity are not to be admitted unless they have already had one
of the chief of the opportunities they seek, the opportunity of education.
The object of such restriction, not selection.
(5)
Emanuel
Celler, wrote about the 1924 Immigration
Act in his autobiography, You Never Leave Brooklyn (1953)
The passage of the Immigration Act of
1924 resulted from
a mixture of passion and emotion; a mixture of fears and hates, tempered
by idealism and by vision, which lie behind the complex motivations
of Congressional action. We were afraid of foreigners; we distrusted
them; we didn't like them. Under this act only some one hundred and
fifty odd thousands would be permitted to enter the United States.
If you were of Anglo-Saxon origin, you could have over two-thirds
of the quota numbers allotted to your people. If you were Japanese,
you could not come in at all. That, of course, had been true of the
Chinese since 1880. If you were southern or eastern European, you
could dribble in and remain on sufferance.
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