1924 US Immigration Law: Temporary Triumph of White America

[Vladek]

I would like to get some information about 1924 US immigration law according to which the immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe has been restricted. Basically Italians, Greeks and almost all Slavs were restricted from immigration to USA. Only people from Nothern Europe, mostly from Scandinavian countries were wellcomed. I've herd that such a decision of american authorities was inspired by Eugenics concepts which became more and more popular in the USA at that time and according to which most immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe carry genetic deceases....... I wonder if that's a real reason.......

Will be thankful for any information....

[Nordgau]

I've herd that such a decision of american authorities was inspired by Eugenics concepts which became more and more popular in the USA at that time and according to which most immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe carry genetic deceases....... I wonder if that's a real reason.......

Will be thankful for any information....

As far as I know, Madison Grant had quite an influence on the achieving of the 1924 immigration laws.

[Gladstone]

Type in "Kevin MacDonald and immigration" and do a search. He has a lot of stuff free on the net and has done a great deal of research on the immigration laws. My understanding was that the law of 1924 was aimed at keeping the origonal percentages of the US populaion at the 1790 rates (ie predominantly Anglo-Saxon). Prior to 1920 those percentages were changing as their had been a great wave of immigration from Eastern Europe and the 1924 law was to correct that change by stopping the bulk of immigration altogether from East Europe. AS for eugenics am not too familiarwith that but MacDonald probably addresses that.

Hope you find what you want.

[Amorsite]

[For those lacking the backgroud this is a quote from the debate of immigration restriction in 1924 which resulted in quotas to preserve the "ethnic status quo" of America]

Things must have been very different back then. Could you imagine a representative saying this today in a debate for a law?

Let me emphasize here that the restrictionists of Congress do not claim that the “Nordic” race, or even the Anglo-Saxon race, is the best race in the world. Let us concede, in all fairness that the Czech is a more sturdy laborer, with a very low percentage of crime and insanity, that the Jew is the best businessman in the world, and that the Italian has a spiritual grasp and an artistic sense which have greatly enriched the world and which have, indeed, enriched us, a spiritual exaltation and an artistic creative sense which the Nordic rarely attains.

Nordics need not be vain about their own qualifications. It well behooves them to be humble. What we do claim is that the northern European, and particularly Anglo-Saxons made this country. Oh, yes; the others helped. But that is the full statement of the case. They came to this country because it was already made as an Anglo-Saxon commonwealth. They added to it, they often enriched it, but they did not make it, and they have not yet greatly changed it. We are determined that they shall not. It is a good country. It suits us.

And what we assert is that we are not going to surrender it to somebody else or allow other people, no matter what their merits, to make it something different. If there is any changing to be done, we will do it ourselves. (Cong. Rec. , April 8, 1924,)