The United States of America is oft-touted as a nation of immigrants. But arrival to (and citizenship of) the United States varied greatly depending on one’s place of origin, race, political leanings, and marriage. Today, the process generally requires visas, mountains of paperwork, and endless waiting periods.
But that hasn’t always been the case. Immigration laws have become much stricter as time has gone on, and immigrating in the 20th century was much more difficult than in the 18th century. In fact, up until the mid-19th century, few laws restricted US immigration policy. And immigration was generally managed by states or local boards (not the federal government) until the 1880s.
Learning the laws in place at the time of arrival—or any time within our US ancestors’ lifetimes—can help us better navigate the records that may be available, understand why they made certain choices at certain times, and contextualize the lives of our immigrant ancestors.
With more restrictions came more (and richer) records. Here are the key moments in US immigration law, organized by era to aid your research. Throughout, I’ve provided citations for the federal statutes so you can read>.
