Timeline of Events: Immigration in the United States
Below you will find some important years and events related to immigration in the United States.
You could pick any of these to use in the timeline activity.
NOTE: Leave the dates off of the pieces of paper you give to students. They can fill them in as they do the activity and you can also give them the dates when you go through the correct order. The specific number of events you use in the activity will depend on your particular group of students and their ability levels/understanding.
About 20,000 BC: First people come to North America from Asia
AD 200: Civilizations flourish in the Americas
1492: Columbus reaches the Americas. Other European explorers soon follow
1505: First African slaves are brought to the Americas by the Spaniards
1607: First permanent English colony is established at Jamestown, Virginia
1619: First African slaves arrive at Jamestown, Virginia, as indentured servants
1700 - 1776: First big immigrant wave: Europeans, mostly English, arrive in large numbers
1750: Population numbers over one million
1790: First census, or counting of citizens, is authorized by Congress. Population reaches almost 4 million.
1808: Congress makes it illegal to bring slaves into the United States
1820 - 1870: Second big immigrant wave: About 7.5 million arrive, mainly from northern and western Europe (especially Great Britain, Ireland, and western Germany)
1840: Wave of Irish immigrants arrives, escaping famine because of potato crop failure.
1848: Discovery of gold results in Chinese and Latin American immigrants coming to the west coast
1881 - 1920: Third big immigrant wave: Nearly 23.5 million arrive, mainly from southern and eastern Europe (especially Austro-Hungary, Italy, and Russia).
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act is passed to prevent Chinese workers from immigrating
1886: The Statue of Liberty is unveiled
1892: Ellis Island opens
1900: U.S. population reaches 76 million
1907: Peak year for Ellis Island. More than one million immigrants pass through
1910: Angel Island, located in San Francisco Bay, opens and becomes known as the "Ellis Island of the West"
1914: World War I inspires strong anti-immigration feelings
1917: Congress requires immigrants to pass literacy tests
1924: Congress limits number of immigrants by nationality, including southern and eastern Europe
1930 - 1964: Immigration declines due to restrictive laws, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War
1940: Angel Island closes after the administration building is destroyed by a fire. Subsequent immigration processing takes place in San Francisco.
1945: Puerto Ricans begin to arrive in large numbers
1954: Ellis Island closes, making an end to mass immigration
1965 - 1992: New immigration laws end discriminatory quotas, set numerical limits, and offer amnesty to many illegal immigrants
2000: Population is more than 260 million
AD 200: Civilizations flourish in the Americas
1492: Columbus reaches the Americas. Other European explorers soon follow
1505: First African slaves are brought to the Americas by the Spaniards
1607: First permanent English colony is established at Jamestown, Virginia
1619: First African slaves arrive at Jamestown, Virginia, as indentured servants
1700 - 1776: First big immigrant wave: Europeans, mostly English, arrive in large numbers
1750: Population numbers over one million
1790: First census, or counting of citizens, is authorized by Congress. Population reaches almost 4 million.
1808: Congress makes it illegal to bring slaves into the United States
1820 - 1870: Second big immigrant wave: About 7.5 million arrive, mainly from northern and western Europe (especially Great Britain, Ireland, and western Germany)
1840: Wave of Irish immigrants arrives, escaping famine because of potato crop failure.
1848: Discovery of gold results in Chinese and Latin American immigrants coming to the west coast
1881 - 1920: Third big immigrant wave: Nearly 23.5 million arrive, mainly from southern and eastern Europe (especially Austro-Hungary, Italy, and Russia).
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act is passed to prevent Chinese workers from immigrating
1886: The Statue of Liberty is unveiled
1892: Ellis Island opens
1900: U.S. population reaches 76 million
1907: Peak year for Ellis Island. More than one million immigrants pass through
1910: Angel Island, located in San Francisco Bay, opens and becomes known as the "Ellis Island of the West"
1914: World War I inspires strong anti-immigration feelings
1917: Congress requires immigrants to pass literacy tests
1924: Congress limits number of immigrants by nationality, including southern and eastern Europe
1930 - 1964: Immigration declines due to restrictive laws, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War
1940: Angel Island closes after the administration building is destroyed by a fire. Subsequent immigration processing takes place in San Francisco.
1945: Puerto Ricans begin to arrive in large numbers
1954: Ellis Island closes, making an end to mass immigration
1965 - 1992: New immigration laws end discriminatory quotas, set numerical limits, and offer amnesty to many illegal immigrants
2000: Population is more than 260 million
SOURCES:
American Immigration Timeline. <http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2313/>.
Maestro, B. (1996). Coming to America: The story of immigration. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
American Immigration Timeline. <http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2313/>.
Maestro, B. (1996). Coming to America: The story of immigration. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
