Immigration Regulation and Restriction, 1882-1921

What do you think of when you see the Statue of Liberty? For millions of Americans, especially immigrants, the statue is a symbol of welcome, of America as an asylum and haven for the oppressed. But although the poem of Emma Lazarus inscribed on its base perpetuates this idea, most Americans feared the impact of immigration on the nation during the half century after the statue was erected. In this lecture we look at the reasons why Americans slowly but steadily lowered the gates into the nation in the wake of seismic changes in the sources and number of immigrants coming into the country between 1882 and 1921. We will also look at how this change contrasts with what took place before and since this period.

Click for vodcast on the Immigrants in the late Nineteenth century (iPod video format)