City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 5-2015 Protecting the Stranger: The Origins of US Immigration Regulation in Nineteenth-Century New York Brendan P. O'Malley Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1079 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact:
[email protected] PROTECTING THE STRANGER: THE ORIGINS OF US IMMIGRATION REGULATION IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY NEW YORK by BRENDAN P. O’MALLEY A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2015 i © 2015 BRENDAN P. O’MALLEY All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy DAVID NASAW __________________ ________________________________ Date Chair of the Examining Committee HELENA ROSENBLATT __________________ ________________________________ Date Executive Officer THOMAS KESSNER GERALD MARKOWITZ ANNA O. LAW JOHN TORPEY Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract PROTECTING THE STRANGER: THE ORIGINS OF US IMMIGRATION REGULATION IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY NEW YORK by BRENDAN P. O’MALLEY From 1847 to 1890, a state authority—not a federal one—oversaw the entry of most immigrants arriving in the United States. The New York State Board of the Commissioners of Emigration supervised the landing of over eight million newcomers in nation’s busiest entry point, the Port of New York, during the second half of the nineteenth century.