Immigration (College Board AP® US History)
Study Guide
Summary
Before 1965, the United States had passed a series of immigration laws aimed at maintaining a population that was mostly White and of European descent. The laws did so by enforcing quotas, or specific numbers of people, of different nationalities that could be allowed into the country each year.
The Immigration Act of 1965 changed that precedent. Instead of filling quotas, immigrants were allowed into the country based on their professional skills and whether they already had family living in the United States.
Changes in Immigration
The Immigration Act of 1965 changed the composition of immigrants coming into the United States
Before its passage, immigrants to the US were admitted based on a quota system
Only 0.17% of the total number of people of each nationality residing in the United States as of the 1920 census were allowed into the United States each year
Only 100 visas from Asian countries were allowed per year
Because of these earlier immigration laws, most immigrants coming to the US prior to the 1960s were from Canada and Europe
By the 1980s, 47% were from Latin America, 37% were from Asia, and < 13% were from Europe and Canada
This shift was because of the Immigration Act of 1965 and because of the increasing number of refugees leaving Cuba’s and Vietnam’s communist governments
The Immigration Act of 1965 gave preference to:
family members of people already living in the United States
people in desirable professions or who have “exceptional ability in the sciences or the arts”
people who “will substantially benefit prospectively the national economy, cultural interests, or welfare of the United States”
For example, retail workers and farmers did not benefit from this Act
The number of undocumented immigrants rose through the mid-to-late 20th century
By the mid-1970s, up to 12 million people were living in the United States without legal documentation
This led to the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
This act penalized employers for hiring people who entered the U.S. illegally or who had overstayed their visas
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Mnemonic devices are techniques that can help you recall information by allowing you to remember something easier, such as a phrase or sentence. You can remember the changes made to U.S. immigration law by the Immigration Act of 1965 with this sentence: In 1965, American immigrants were FAB.
FAB is an acronym that stands for Family, Ability, and Benefits. The Immigration Act of 1965 gave preference to people who already had family in the United States, had desirable abilities or professional skills, and who could benefit the U.S. economy.
Worked Example
Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable.
Answer (a), (b), and (c).
(a) Briefly explain one reason why the United States gave preferential treatment to skilled workers in the Immigration Act of 1965.
(b) Briefly describe one group that was denied preferential standing in the Immigration Act of 1965.
(c) Briefly explain how your answers in parts (a) and (b) may have affected the number of undocumented immigrants coming into the United States.
Sample Answers:
(a) The United States gave preferential treatment to skilled workers because these people would already have the necessary education and training needed to contribute to the economy at a high level. The government would not have to support them as they learned their trade.
(b) The Immigration Act of 1965 denied preferential standing to people who did not have an area of skilled expertise, such as engineering or academic scholarship. This would include people who worked hourly, minimum wage jobs, such as retail clerks and farm workers.
(c) A person’s occupation doesn’t determine their need to emigrate. Someone who picks avocados for a living is just as likely to try to escape dangerous living conditions as a doctor. The difference is that a doctor would have been let into the United States under the Immigration Act of 1965 whilst a farm worker wouldn’t. People without “desirable skills” had to enter the country without documentation. Skill restrictions caused the number of undocumented immigrants coming into the United States to rise.
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