The Immigration Act of 1965 consisted of a series of amendments to the Immigration Act of 1924, making it easier for people from other countries to immigrate into the United States.
Known as the “melting pot,” America had welcomed new immigrants since the late 1700s. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, the United States tried to slow the large and steady stream of immigrants from around the world. Americans felt that the country possessed a thriving, level population. In fact, there were so many people in the country that even with industrialization, some felt that there were not enough jobs to keep the population employed. Given these factors, the U. S. government passed the National Origins Act of 1924. This legislation imposed a “quota system” on the number of people allowed to immigrate from each country. The measure mainly affected southern and eastern Europe, which provided the largest numbers of new arrivals at the end of the 19th century and in the first two and a half decades of the 20th.
When John F. Kennedy became president in 1960, the issue of immigration surfaced again in Washington. For the first time since the restrictions of 1924, the United States was willing to begin loosening its restraints on immigration. Though Kennedy supported easing restriction, the measure did not become law until Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency.
Amendments to the Immigration Act of 1924 made it easier for people to come to America. The Immigration Act of 1965 sought to eliminate the quota system, allowing for more people to immigrate from southern and eastern Europe, India, and China. The quota system was not entirely abolished until 1968; it took the government three years to phase it out. The Immigration Act of 1965 gave preference to certain groups of people for the first time. Members of the immediate family of a U. S. citizen, including parents, husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters, were now able to immigrate more swiftly. The new act also allowed political refugees to enter the country at a faster rate. Finally, people who excelled in certain professions or skills were given priority over others.
This caused major changes in the patterns of immigration. After the 1924 act was passed, immigration into the United States tapered off. No longer was there the massive immigration that the United States had experienced before the act. In 1965, in a slow period in immigration, the Immigration Act of 1965 led to a dramatic increase in numbers. Several hundred thousand a year could now come. Some arrived from Latin America in the aftermath of Fidel Castro’s seizure of power in Cuba. Others came from Southeast Asia in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. After years of closed doors, the United States again provided a window of opportunity to people from abroad.
Further reading: David Jacobson, The Immigration Reader (Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 1998).
—Jennifer Howell
World History
