| 1790: | 1. Naturalization Act - “Any Free White Person / 2 yrs” |
| 1795: | 2. Naturalization Act - 5 yrs + further restrictions |
| 1798: | 3. Naturalization Act - 14 yrs + a declaration 5 yrs before admission” |
| 1802: | President Jefferson reinstated the 1795 act |
| 1852: | Foreign Miners’ Tax “$3 a month/should limit the number of Chinese in California” |
| 1854: | California Supreme Court “the testimony of Chinese, blacks, mulattos, Native Am. against whites declared invalid |
| 1855: | Act to discourage immigration of persons who cannot become citizens. Landing tax of $50/passenger |
| 1859: | Chinese excluded from San Francisco public schools |
| 1862: | Law levying tax of $2.50/month on all Chinese residing in the state. Immediately repealed by the California Supreme Court after the Ling-Sing decision. |
| 1868: | The 14th amendment “All persons born or naturalized in the US and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the US and of the state wherein they reside” |
| 1870: | The Civil Rights Act (federal) “against discriminatory state acts. Partly initiated by the 6 companies |
| 1875: | Immigration Act “no prostitutes or convicts” |
| 1880: | California Civil Code “prohibited inter-racial marriages between whites and Negroes, Mulattos, Mongolians |
| 1882: | Chinese Exclusion Act “bans Chinese workers from the US, and prohibits them from becoming naturalized citizens. Angel Island is set up |
| 1898 | Philippines are given from Spain to the US. Filipinos need no visas for the US |
| 1902: | The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act is extended for 10 years |
| 1904 | The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act is extended indefinitely |
| 1906: | San Francisco school board demands that all Asian students (apart from Japanese) must attend segregated schools |
| 1907: | The Immigration Act of 1907 “extended the restrictions of earlier acts” + Gentleman’s Agreement |
| 1909: | The Halladjian Decision “Armenians defined as Asians - and redefined as Caucasians |
| 1913: | The California Alien Land Act “ bars aliens, mostly Japanese farmers, from owning land". Further restrictions added in 1921 and 1923. Repealed in 1948 |
| 1917: | The Immigration Act of 1917 (The Barred Zone Act) “barred immigration from a large geographical zone consisting mostly of Asian regions” + Arizona Alien Land Law |
| 1921: | The Immigration Act of 1921 “introduced a quota system. Based on the 1910 census, nations were each allowed an annual quota of 3% of that nationality’s U.S. population thereby keeping the majority the majority, the minority the minority” Washington+Louisiana with Alien Land Laws - Ladies Agreement |
| 1922: |
The Cable Act “US women marrying aliens ineligible to citizenship lost their US citizenship" New Mexico Alien Land Law |
| 1924: | The Immigration Act of 1924 (The National Origins Act) “amends the 1921 act by demanding a 2% rather than a 3% quota based on the 1890 census. Bars entry to any ‘alien ineligible to citizenship’, which effectively ended Asian immigration until after WWII (except Filipinos!!!) - Repealed in 1965 |
| 1934: | The Tydings-McDuffie Act “made the Philippines independent" - barred Filipinos (50 annually) |
| 1942: | Executive Order 9066 sanctions the ‘relocation’ of 110,000 Japanese Americans into 10 US internment camps |
| 1943: | Immigration Act of 1943 “completely repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, allowing Chinese to become naturalized citizens. However, only 105 Chinese a year are allowed to immigrate (the law reflects the US alliance with China during WWII) |
| 1945: | Internment camps finally closed |
| 1946: | The Filipino Naturalization Act “allows immigrants from the Philippines+India to become naturalized citizens at a ratio of 100 per county" |
| 1948: | Displaced Persons Act “3500 Chinese can remain in the US because of the Civ.war” |
| 1948: | The California Civil Code of 1880 + the Alien Land Act of 1913 repealed |
| 1952: | The McCarran-Walter Act “removes all racial criteria for naturalization. Quotas still small, but spouses and children allowed as non-quota immigrants. Communists barred” |
| 1965: | The Nationality Act “abolishes the National Origins Act of 1924 and its quota system". |
| 1968: |
The number of immigrants from the Western Hemisphere is restricted to 120,000
The number of Asian immigrants rises significantly |
| 1988: | Civil Liberties Act “apologizes to the 110,000 Japanese Americans who were detained in internment camps during the Second World War". |
| 1990: | Immigration Act “caps total immigration at 700,000. Each nation 25,000 + refugees ‘Employment-Creating’ immigrants investing $1 million in a US concern admitted, representing a clear class bias. Change from race to class! |