National origins provision of immigration law

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1796380105

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-196168

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: National origins provision of immigration law

Place of publication:: Washington

Publisher:: Gov. Pr. Off.

Year of publication:: 1929

Scope:: III, 171 S

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Statement of Frances H. Kinnicutt, immigration restriction league, and allied patriotic society, New York City

Collection:: Economics Books

154 NATIONAL ORIGINS PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LAW racial homogeneity as we still possess. Here we are in entire agree- ment with the views of the 47 signers of the memorial of scientists to which I have referred, expressed in the following language [reading from the memorial] : 2. We further urge the prompt putting into effect of that provision of the immigration act of 1924 whereby the quotas after July 1, 1927, at present de- termined by the number of foreign born of each nationality bere in the year 1890, are to be adjusted so as to conform to the officially estimated number of persons now in the country of each national origin, either by birth or descent. We believe that this permanent basis for fixing the quotas already provided for by law is sound in principle and fair to all elments in the population. Only by this method can that large proportion of our population which is descended from the colonists and other early setttlers, as well as the members of the newer immigration, have their proper racial representation in the quotas. We believe that Congress wisely concluded that only by such a system of propor- tional representation in our future immigration could the racial status quo of the country be maintained or a reasonable degree of homogeneity secured. Without such basic homogeneity we firmly believe no civilization can have its best development. I believe that we have here an excellent statement of the true rea- sons for retaining the national-origins provision, and I want particu- larly to emphasize the last point made, that it is necessary to preserve “ga reasonable degree of homogeneity ” in our population, While it is true that we are a composite people to-day, it is also true that by far the largest single element is still composed of the basic Anglo-Saxon stock, which almost exclusively settled the coun- try prior to the Revolution, gave us our Constitution, and founded our American civilization. That stock at the time we became a Nation constituted about 90 per cent of our population. We were then, both in race and culture, a homogeneous people. Let me quote what George Washington said just after the Revolution: Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affection * * * With slight shades of difference you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles. This homogeneity continued until about the middle of the last century. Since then we have as a people undergone great racial changes through successive waves of immigration. Some of this immigration by reason of its fairly close ethnical relationship to the original population was assimilated with comparative ease, both racially and culturally. With the later—the so-called “newer ” im- migration from southern and eastern Europe greater difficulties of assimilation have been encountered; but if we do not further dilute the basic stock, which still constitutes about one-half of our white population, we may hope to overcome these difficulties. The effect, however, of converting the temporary 1890 apportionment of our immigration into a permanent basis will not help to achieve this end, for it will further seriously dilute the original stock which at the present time is still strongly represented in all parts of the country. While the national-origins basis will preserve the present status quo and give that stock a share in the quotas, as great but no greater than its present representation in our population, the 1890 quotas, if continued, would heavily discriminate against it. This appears from the following table showing the 1890 and national-origins quotas:

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: National origins provision of immigration law

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation