"Our attitude toward immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as their talent and energy allow. Neither race nor creed nor place of birth should affect their chances."
~Senator Robert F. Kennedy, introduction to A Nation of Immigrants
Thesis
In the early 1900s, America's restrictive immigration laws established a partiality for the ethnicities of Northwestern Europe and blatantly discriminated against immigrants from unrepresented and undeveloped countries. Not only did this cause sharp declines in immigrant numbers, but it violated American morals and ideals, stirring a reaction and compelling many Americans to advocate for immigration reform. Over decades, they fought prejudice, finally triumphing in the Johnson Administration when a bill revolutionizing the former immigration system slipped through Congress. Signed into law on October 3rd, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 reshaped the vision of American immigration for both the impoverished foreign immigrant and the proud American citizen, who are one and the same.
The American Melting Pot
Next to Restrictive Immigration
Laura Liao | Junior Division | Individual Website