American Immigration Restriction Laws of the 1920s

"What is an American?" This is what U.S. History Theme #1 asks and is the question that I will strive to answer throughout this essay, relating to the event of the 1920s' immigration restriction laws. Ever since the United States was founded, immigrants have been arriving on its soil. The first white inhabitants of the U.S. were immigrants from Europe. As the country grew and became more prosperous, it became more enticing to foreigners …

…to upper class standing. All immigrants must believe in or convert to the popular American religion of protestant Christianity or they will be considered heretics if they do not do so. All Americans have to be of a caucasion descent, preferably Norhthern or Western European, those not of a caucasion descent were considered to be tainting the American gene pool. Therefore, who is an American is decided by an accumulation of behaviors, beliefs, and ancestory.