Immigration Act of 1917: Nativism Bans Asian Entry
Congress overrode President Wilson's veto to enact the Immigration Act of 1917, creating an Asiatic Barred Zone that banned entry from most of Asia and the Pacific Islands. This legislation expanded existing bans to include illiterate adults over sixteen and various groups deemed "undesirable," effectively ending decades of Chinese-only exclusion policies. The law cemented a nativist framework that strictly controlled immigrant flow by race and literacy for decades.
February 5, 1917
109 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on February 5
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