Immigration Act of 1924

E39328

The Immigration Act of 1924 was a U.S. federal law that sharply restricted immigration through national-origins quotas favoring Northern and Western Europeans, reflecting and reinforcing the era’s strong nativist and xenophobic sentiments.

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Observed surface forms (3)


Statements (54)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal law
immigration law
aimedTo limit immigration from so-called undesirable regions
preserve existing ethnic composition of the United States
alsoKnownAs Immigration Act of 1924
surface form: Johnson-Reed Immigration Act

Immigration Act of 1924
surface form: Johnson–Reed Act
amended Immigration Act of 1917
appliesTo non-citizens seeking permanent residence in the United States
barredImmigrationFrom Japan
most Asian countries
basedOnCensusYear 1890 United States Census
codifiedIn United States Statutes at Large
country United States of America
surface form: United States
created U.S. Customs and Border Protection
surface form: United States Border Patrol
createdAgency U.S. Customs and Border Protection
surface form: U.S. Border Patrol
dateSigned 1924-05-26
established national origins quota system
exemptedGroup immigrants from Western Hemisphere
professional diplomats
students
temporary visitors
favoredImmigrantsFrom Northern Europe
Western Europe
hadLongTermEffect sharply reduced immigration to the United States for decades
influencedBy eugenics movement
nativism in the United States
racial quota theories
xenophobia
introducedIn 68th United States Congress
legalDomain immigration and nationality law
limitedImmigrationFrom Greece
Italy
Jewish populations from Eastern Europe
Poland
Russia
policyType national-origins quota
presidentDuringEnactment Calvin Coolidge
reflected nativist sentiments in the 1920s United States
xenophobic attitudes in the 1920s United States
regulated issuance of immigration visas abroad
reinforced racial hierarchy in U.S. immigration policy
remainedInForceUntil Immigration and Nationality Act
surface form: Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
replaced Emergency Quota Act of 1921
required immigrant visas for entry to the United States
restrictedImmigrantsFrom Asia
Eastern Europe
Southern Europe
setAnnualQuota 2 percent of each nationality based on 1890 census
setOverallAnnualCap 150000 immigrants per year
signedBy Calvin Coolidge
statuteCitation 43 Stat. 153
supersededBy Immigration and Nationality Act
surface form: Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
tookEffectOn 1924-07-01
yearEnacted 1924

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Immigration Act of 1924 alsoKnownAs Immigration Act of 1924
this entity surface form: Johnson–Reed Act
Immigration Act of 1924 alsoKnownAs Immigration Act of 1924
this entity surface form: Johnson-Reed Immigration Act
Nativism in the United States associatedWithPolicy Immigration Act of 1924
Nativism in the United States associatedWithPolicy Immigration Act of 1924
this entity surface form: National Origins quota system
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 followedBy Immigration Act of 1924
Immigration Act of 1917 followedBy Immigration Act of 1924
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 influenceOn Immigration Act of 1924
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 setPrecedentFor Immigration Act of 1924