Immigration Dbq Essay

Immigration restriction, did it bring more bad or good to the United States? The Immigration Restriction Act was enacted in May of 1924. This act stated that only 2% of immigrants would be allowed into the United States. During this time, America was split into two: one was for immigration restriction and one was against. Immigration restriction was a widely debated topic during that time period. The best decision for America was restricting the immigrants. By restricting immigrants, it reduces overpopulation, and a drastic change in culture.

Overpopulation is one of the reasons why it was a good thing that America put a cap on the number of immigrants that were allowed to enter the United States. Lodge talks about how America was struggling

During this time period America was struggling enough as it was. The stand of living and wages were bad enough, if they had not put a cap on the amount of immigrants entering the United Stated it would have overpopulated the country, leading to a variety of problems including loss of jobs for people, lack of pay and lack of living spaces. This would happen because if America had not put a cap then the government would be scrambling to find jobs, living spaces, and pay for the immigrants so that they could be able to start a life in America. By not restricting immigrants the U.S would become overpopulated very effortlessly: “There lies the peril at the portals [doors] of our land: there is pressing in the tide of unrestricted immigration. The time has certainly come, if not to stop at

America did not want change: “The additions in this country until the present time have been from kindred [similar] people or from those with whom we have been long allied and who speak the same language. . . . [M]ore precious even than forms of government are the mental and moral qualities which make what we call our race” (Document 1). America was not accepting towards the idea of change. America had been built into the nation it is today by people of the same races and people with similar ways of living. By adding in too many of other races, it could have affected the way America grew as a nation. Too many immigrants would threaten the cultures that were present: “ While those stand unimpaired [undamaged], all is safe. When those decline, all is imperiled [endangered]…The danger has begun. . . “ (document 1). By not letting in too many of one race that meant that America would not have had to c Majority of people did not want to change their ways and have to get used to the idea that America could change. People wanted America to stay as it was so that a stronger nation could be built with the people we already had living in it. A drastic change in the culture in America would have sent the U.S down the wrong path for taking an already strong colony and attempting to turn it into an