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America 1920-1973Key Facts

Immigration Restrictions

Part of Intolerance and Prejudice · GCSE GCSE History revision

This key facts covers Immigration Restrictions within Intolerance and Prejudice for GCSE History. Revise Intolerance and Prejudice in America 1920-1973 for GCSE History with 12 exam-style questions and 16 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 14 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 4 of 14

Practice

12 questions

Recall

16 flashcards

🚫 Immigration Restrictions

The 1920s saw America effectively close its doors to "undesirable" immigrants:

LawWhat It DidImpact
Emergency Quota Act (1921)Limited immigration to 3% of each nationality based on 1910 censusFirst major restriction — signalled change in policy
National Origins Act (1924)Reduced to 2% based on 1890 census; total limit 150,000/year; banned ALL Asian immigrationDeliberately favoured "old" immigrants (Northern Europeans) over "new" (Southern/Eastern Europeans)
  • Italian immigration: 200,000/year → just 4,000/year
  • Polish immigration: 30,000/year → 6,000/year
  • Asian immigration: Completely banned
  • British/German immigration: Largely unaffected (the "acceptable" immigrants)

    • Why the 1890 census? Before the wave of Southern/Eastern European immigration. This was DELIBERATE discrimination — the law was designed to keep out Italians, Poles, Russians, Jews, Greeks.

    ⚖️ Case Study: Sacco and Vanzetti (1920-1927)

    This case symbolises 1920s intolerance:

    1920
    Arrest: Nicola Sacco (shoemaker) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (fish seller) — Italian anarchists — arrested for robbery and murder in Massachusetts
    1921
    Trial: Convicted on weak, circumstantial evidence. Judge Webster Thayer called them "anarchist bastards" outside court.
    1921-27
    Appeals: Worldwide protests; intellectuals, workers, and governments demanded new trial. Evidence of their innocence emerged.
    1927
    Execution: Despite global protests and doubts about their guilt, both executed by electric chair.
    1977
    Exoneration: Governor of Massachusetts declared the trial unfair and cleared their names — 50 years too late.

    Why it matters: The case shows how anti-immigrant and anti-radical prejudice could override justice. They were convicted partly because they were Italian, partly because they were anarchists — not because the evidence proved guilt.

    Keep building this topic

    Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Intolerance and Prejudice. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

    Deep Understanding: The FEARS Behind IntoleranceLinking Different Forms of IntoleranceSetting the SceneHow to THINK About This Topic (History Skills)

    Practice Questions for Intolerance and Prejudice

    Who led the government raids on suspected communists and radicals in 1919-1920 that resulted in over 6,000 arrests?

    • A. A. Mitchell Palmer
    • B. J. Edgar Hoover
    • C. President Woodrow Wilson
    • D. David Stephenson
    1 markfoundation

    By 1925, approximately how many members did the Ku Klux Klan have at its peak?

    • A. 400,000
    • B. 4-6 million
    • C. 400 million
    • D. 40,000
    1 markfoundation

    Quick Recall Flashcards

    What caused the Red Scare?
    Russian Revolution (1917), strikes, anarchist bombs — fear communism would spread
    KKK membership by 1925?
    4-6 million members

    12 questions on Intolerance and Prejudice — practise free

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    Linking Different Forms of Intolerance