Immigration

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HISTORY

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues moved to the forefront during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic upended lives and economies around the world. Awareness of social inequality grew as the killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, spurred widespread protests.

21st Century

Immigration, the movement of people living in one country into another country, is a fundamental aspect of human history, though it was as controversial hundreds of years ago as it is today.

Immigration is the movement of people living in one country into another and is a key part of human history. Learn more about the Immigration Act of 1965, tenements and other immigration facts.

Immigration: Definition and Facts | HISTORY

1924

1885

1952

1917

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

19th Century

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

1954

Explore the wars, battles, leaders, civilizations, regimes, prominent figures and major events from the continent that encompasses 2 percent of the Earth’s surface. From Stonehenge to the Great Awakening to the French Revolution to the rise and fall of Communism in Russia, see how Europe’s often tumultuous history unfolded.

European History

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. Explore topics on the era, from the stock market crash of 1929, to the Dust Bowl, to FDR’s response to the economic calamity—the New Deal.

Immigration

Topics

2017 Events

History of San Francisco’s Chinatown

The Irish in Boston

Tenements

Stories

The U.S. Deported a Million of Its Own Citizens to Mexico During the Great Depression

How Border-Crossing Became a Crime in the United States

The 1840 U.S. Census Was Overly Interested in Americans’ Mental Health

The 8-Year-Old Chinese American Girl Who Helped Desegregate Schools—in 1885

This Day in History

Immigration act passed over President Wilson’s veto

Ellis Island closes

President Coolidge signs Immigration Act of 1924

Chinese miners are massacred in Wyoming Territory

McCarran-Walter Act goes into effect, revising immigration laws