Immigration and Migration in America

The 1950's and 1960's

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 was passed to exclude certain immigrants from immigrating to America after World War II and early in the Cold War. The act denied immigrants who were unlawful, immoral, diseased in any way, or politically radical. Anyone who was even remotely associated with communism was seen as a threat to the U.S. government.

The Refugee Act of 1953 was passed to deal with unexpected, urgent needs of refugees, displaced persons, and victims of conflict from around the world.

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 limited the number of visas approved per year to 170,000. It is also known as the Hart-Cellar Act.

This chart shows the immigration rate from 1820 to 2009. In the 1950s and 1960s the immigration rate was low because of the laws being passed. (http://www.publicagenda.org/files/ charts/ff_immigration_to_the_US.png)

Citations

Johnson, Wade. "1952 Immigration and Nationalitcy Act." US Immigration Legislation. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jul 2012. http://library.uwb.edu/guides/usimmigration/1952_immigration_and_nationality_act.html.

"1965 Immigration and Nationality Act." US immigration Legislation. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jul 2012. <http://library.uwb.edu/guides/usimmigration/1965_immigration_and_nationality_act.html>.