University of Oran 2 Faculty of Foreign Languages Department of Anglo-Saxon Languages Section of English THESIS The Evolution of the U.S. Immigration Policy and its Impact on American Society (1820-2002) A Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate Es-Science in American Civilization Submitted by: Supervised by: Mr. Farouk BEGHDADI Prof. Belkacem BELMEKKI Board of Examiners: Ghenim Neema Prof. University of Oran 2 President Belmekki Belkacem Prof. University of Oran 2 Supervisor Dani Fatiha Prof. University of Oran 1 Examiner Senouci Meberbeche Faiza Prof. University of Tlemcen Examiner Benabdi Farouk MCA University of Mascara Examiner Bessedik Fatima Zahra MCA University of Oran 2 Examiner Defended on January 25, 2021 To my beloved mother, wife, and children. II Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Belkacem Belmekki, my advisor, who I was privileged to work with and from whom I have learnt a lot. Special thanks go to my mother for her constant support, inspiration, and prayers. My heartfelt gratitude to my life partner, Dr. Dahou Fatima Nor El Houda, who encouraged me, and who has always been there when I needed her. I would also like to thank Prof. Andrew Breeze (University of Navarra-Spain) and Lori Maguire (University of Paris 8- France) for their unconditional help, support, and sympathy. Last but not least, I thank all those who have supported me to accomplish this work: my brothers and sisters, my friends, and my colleagues of the department of English language and literature at the University of Mascara. III Abstract Since its establishment, the United States has welcomed big numbers of immigrants from all parts of the globe. The U.S. immigration strategy evolved throughout the history of the country and fluctuated between liberal and obstructive. It has been responsible for the racial, ethnic, and cultural transformation of the society for more than four centuries. Besides measuring its impact on American society, which is the main focus of major researches on this subject, the goal of this work is to identify the foremost factors that molded the shaping of the U.S. immigration policy. This thesis applied qualitative and quantitative methods, and examined a wide range of primary sources, government and official documents, and recent books and articles of authors and researchers of great renown working on the issue. The results revealed that the economic developments of the country and society were the driving force that shaped the U.S. immigration policy, both liberal and restrictive. The thesis came to the conclusion that the economic factor determined the evolution of the immigration process in general and the immigration policy of the United States in particular. IV ملخص V Résumé Les États-Unis a toujours accueilli un grand nombre d'immigrants de toutes les régions du monde. La stratégie d'immigration américaine a évolué tout au long de l'histoire du pays et a fluctué entre libérale et obstructive. Elle est responsable de la transformation raciale, ethnique et culturelle de la société depuis plus de quatre siècles. Outre la mesure de son impact sur la société américaine, qui est le principal objectif des recherches majeures sur ce sujet, l'objectif de ce travail est d'identifier les principaux facteurs qui ont façonné l'élaboration de la politique d'immigration américaine. Cette thèse a appliqué des méthodes qualitatives et quantitatives et a examiné un large éventail de sources primaires, de documents gouvernementaux et officiels, ainsi que de livres et d'articles récents d'auteurs et de chercheurs de grande renommée travaillant sur la thématique. Les résultats ont révélé que les développements économiques du pays et de la société étaient la force motrice qui a façonné la politique d'immigration américaine, à la fois libérale et restrictive. La thèse est arrivée à la conclusion que le facteur économique a déterminé l'évolution du processus d'immigration en général et de la politique d'immigration des États-Unis en particulier. VI Table of Contents Dedication …………………………………………………………………………………...…II Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………………….III Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………...IV V....………………………………………………………………………………………… ملخص Résumé …………………………………………………………………………………………VI Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………………………VII List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………………….X List of Figures and Maps ………………………………………………………………………XII List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ………………………………………………………..XIII Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….1 Chapter One: Colonial Immigration and Immigration Policy up to Independence 1.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………..5 1.2. Historical Background (before 1607) ………………………………………………..6 1.3. The Establishment of the Thirteen English Colonies in North America 1607-1732 ...7 1.4. Colonial immigration policy ……………………………………………………….18 1.5. Who Came? The Impact of the Colonial Policy on Immigration ………………….31 1.5.1. New Source of Labor: Non-English European Immigrants …………….31 1.5.2. No More Servants: the Rise of Black African Forced Migration and the Establishment of Slavery ……………………………………………….36 1.6. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….46 Chapter Two: Post-Independence Immigrants: Who Came and Why They Came? (1790-1920) 2.1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………….48 2.2. Who is an American? Young Nation’s Early Legislations (1790- 1819) ………….49 2.3. A Century of European Immigration to the United States (1820-1920) …………...55 2.3.1. More Immigrants from Northern and Western Europe …………………..58 2.3.1.1. Migration of the Irish Paupers ………………………………60 VII 2.3.1.2. Huddled Masses from Germany …………………………….65 2.3.1.3. More Influx from Britain ……………………………………69 2.3.1.4. Other Immigrants from Western Europe ……………………73 2.3.2. They Come from the Other Side of the Continent: Eastern and Southern European Immigrants ……………………………………………………..78 2.3.2.1. Italian Contadini …………………………………………….78 2.3.2.2. Helpless Austro-Hungarians ………………………………...84 2.3.2.3. Escaping the Tsarist Oppression …………………………….88 2.4. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….97 Chapter Three: The Door Closes: the Shift of U.S. Immigration Policy from Liberal to Restrictive 1820-1965 3.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………98 3.2. Factors Shaping the Nineteenth Century U.S. Immigration Policy ………………..98 3.2.1. Evolution of the Transatlantic Transportation …………………………..99 3.2.2. Growing Knowledge about the Migratory Destinations ……………….104 3.2.3. Free Land and Free Home, in the West ………………………………..110 3.2.4. Industrial Growth and Economic Opportunities ………………………..118 3.2.5. Immigrants to Fuel the Second American Industrial Revolution ………122 3.3. Federal Immigration Control: From Regulation to Restriction (1875-1965) ……127 3.3.1. Rise of Nativism, Early States’ Policies, and The Shift of Immigration Control from Local to Federal (1830s-1870s) ………………………….127 3.3.2. “The Chinese Must Go” and the Early Federal Restrictive Policy 1882-1917 ……………………………………………………………………………133 3.3.3. The Door Closes: No More Immigrants… Eastern and Southern Immigrants 1917-1965 ………………………………………………………………137 3.4. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………146 Chapter Four: New Immigration and Immigration Policy 1965-2002 4.1.Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………147 4.2. First Steps towards a New Immigration Policy ………………………………………147 VIII 4.2.1. Economic Impact of Restriction on Native-born and Immigrant Labor ...148 4.2.2. Land of Asylum Vs Land of Restriction ………………………………..152 4.2.3. Temporary Mexican Braceros to Cover the Labor Shortage 1942-1964 ..160 4.3. New Immigrants and New Policy 1965-2002 …………………………………….167 4.3.1. 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and the Repeal of the National Origins Quota System …………………………………………………..167 4.3.2. Post-1965 Immigration Legislations …………………………………….175 4.4. The Impact of the New Policy on American Society ……………………………..182 4.4.1. The Ethnic Shift of the U.S. Society …………………………………….182 4.4.2. The Rise of Undocumented Immigration ……………………………….188 4.4.3. The Economic Implication of the New Immigration Policy …………….194 4.5. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………198 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………….199 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………….204 IX List of Tables Table 1.1. Estimates of Colonial Population 1640 – 1688………………………………………17 Table 1.2. Proprietary, Charter, and Royal Colonies ……………………………………………19 Table 1.3. The evolution of the white population in the thirteen colonies 1688-1775 ………….21 Table 1.4. The distribution of the white population in 1775 ……………………………………29 Table 1.5. Estimated Population of the Thirteen Colonies, 1620–1760 ……………………..39-40 Table 1.6. Slaves imported from overseas to the thirteen colonies, 1700-1775 ………………...43 Table 1.7. Estimated immigration to Thirteen Colonies, 1700-1775 …………………………..44 Table 1.8. Black slaves’ population in the thirteen colonies 1700-1760 ……………………….45 Table 2.1. The 1790, 1795, 1798, and 1802 Naturalization Acts ……………………………50-51 Table 2.2. 1820-1924 immigration to the United States ………………………………………...57 Table 2.3. Immigration to the United States from Northern and Western Europe, Southern and Eastern Europe, and other countries, 1820-1910, by decade ……………………………………59 Table 2.4. Immigration to America from Ireland 1820-1930 …………………………………...60 Table 2.5. Population by Province in 1841 and 1861 (in thousands) …………………………...65 Table 2.6. German Immigration to the United States 1820-1920 ……………………………….68 Table 2.7. The population of England in 1801-1871(in millions) ………………………………71 Table