Today In History: Immigration Act of 1917

We came to America, either ourselves or in the persons of our ancestors, to better the ideals of men, to make them see finer things than they had seen before, to get rid of the things that divide and to make sure of the things that unite.

-- President Woodrow Wilson, Address to Naturalized Citizens at Convention Hall, Philadelphia, May 10, 1925

On February 5th, 1917, Congress passed an immigration act that would have a significant impact on persons wishing to settle in the United States. Required was a literacy test for immigrants, while the law also prohibited entry by laborers from Asia -- with exceptions for countries,  such as the Philippines that already had established relations. Since the 1890s most immigrants seeking entrance were accepted after medical examinations were passed. As the U.S. prepared to enter the First World War, the Immigration Restriction League of Boston sought to address the influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe and alleviate the growing distrust of foreigners. Immigrant processing centers, including Ellis Island, began shutting down after 1924. 

In America, dubbed "the meting pot" or a place where peoples of different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, cultures, religions, etc.  are mixed together,  immigration has a complex history prone to political, social, economic, religious, and other factors and considerations. To this day, immigration tops the headlines, worldwide, particularly as the number of refugees rises among persecuted peoples seeking a better life. See here for a succinct timeline of U.S. Immigration history and read more about the Immigration Act of 1917 and its impact below.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Delay Action On Alien Bill: Immigration Act Is Referred Back to Conferees; Measure Ready for President Some Time Next Week. (1917, Jan 13). Los Angeles Times (1886-1922) 
• Immigration Act Severe Blow to Steamship Men.  (1917, Feb 25). San Francisco Chronicle (1869-1922) 
• Immigration Act Hits Boat Lines: Federal Law, Effective May 1. (1917, Apr 04). Detroit Free Press (1858-1922) 
• Report on Immigration Act Is Expected Soon. (1917, Apr 08). Detroit Free Press (1858-1922) 
• Bound to Deport "Alien Radicals": Labor Secretary Wilson, Answering the Protest of Labor UNion, Says He Is Carrying Out the Law. (1919, Feb 18). The Atlanta Constitution (1881-1945) 
• Calls Alien Reds Invading Enemies: Deportation Will Proceed Under 1917 Law, Secretary Wilson Announces.  (1919, Feb 18). New York Times (1857-1922) 
• Immigration Act Changes Urged: Industrial Conference Criticizes Present Policy As Unjust and Inconsistent.  (1923, Jul 24). Wall Street Journal (1923-) 
• Upholds Immigrant Curb: High Court Stands By 1917 Law in case of 3 Mexicans.  (1947, Apr 08). New York Times (1923-) 
• Truman Urged to Sign Immigration Act. (1948, Jul 03). New Journal and Guide (1916-) 
• Frank, W. K. (1953, Feb 04). A Short History of U.S. Immigration: Views Have Shifted Down the Years. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) 

Tips:

• Immigration laws. Act of February 5, 1917; and acts approved October 16, 1918; October 19, 1918; May 10, 1920; June 5, 1920; December 26, 1920, and May 19, 1921, as amended, and Act May 26, 1922. Rules of May 1, 1917.  United States Bureau of Immigration. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1922.  e-copy

• Abbott, Grace. The Immigrant and the Community. With Introduction by Julian W. Mack. New York, Century Co., 1917. New York (State): J. S. Ozer, 1971. e-book
• Foner, Eric., and Lisa McGirr. American History Now. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011. e-book
• Noel, Linda C. Debating American Identity : Southwestern Statehood and Mexican Immigration. Tucson, [Arizona: The University of Arizona Press, 2014. e-book
• Oh, Young-In. Struggles over Immigrants’ Language Literacy Tests in the United States, 1917-1966. El Paso: LFB Scholarly Pub., 2012. e-book
• Report on an Experiment Made in Los Angeles in the Summer of 1917 for the Americanization of Foreign-Born Women, State Commission of Immigration and Housing California, 1917. Sacramento, California: 1917. e-copy

Images: 

• [Group of Immigrants], by Wladyslaw Benda, circa 1890-1934, Courtesy of the Library of Congress
• Poster Image:  Immigrants Embarking for America. N.p., 1930. , from the Rothman Lantern Slide Collection, Courtesy of Teachers College, Columbia University
• Immigration Laws, 1917, cover