A Century Ago, Anti-Immigrant Backlash Almost Closed America’s Doors
By Matthew Smith | The Conversation One hundred years ago, the U.S. Congress enacted the most notorious immigration legislation in American history. Signed by President Calvin Coolidge, the Immigration Act of 1924 dramatically reduced immigration from eastern and southern Europe and practically barred it from Asia. How the law did this, however, was somewhat subtle: a quota. Lawmakers […]