The Immigration Act of 1917, or the Burnett Act, was a United States Act that aimed to restrict immigration by imposing literacy tests on immigrants, creating new categories of inadmissible persons, and barring immigration from the Asia–Pacific region. The most sweeping immigration act the United States had passed until then was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 in marking a turn toward nativism. The 1917 act governed immigration policy until it was amended by the Immigration Act of 1924; both acts were revised by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.
US Congress passes the first law restricting immigration
The Immigration Act of 1917, or the Burnett Act, was a United States Act that aimed to restrict immigration by imposing literacy tests on immigrants, creating new categories of inadmissible persons,...
Historical Significance
The Immigration Act of 1917, or the Burnett Act, was a United States Act that aimed to restrict immigration by imposing literacy tests on immigrants, creating new categories of inadmissible persons, and barring immigration from the Asia–Pacific region.
Events Before
Ridden by outstanding English jockey Fred Archer, Iroquois wins the Epsom Derby to become the first American-owned and b
Ridden by outstanding English jockey Fred Archer, Iroquois wins the Epsom Derby to become the first American-owned and bred horse to win a European classic race
Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull surrenders to US federal troops at Fort Buford in the Territory of Montana [1] [2]
Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian agency police accompanied by U.S.
Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian obelisk, is erected in Central Park, New York [1]
Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian obelisk, is erected in Central Park, New York [1]
Union of Baptists Communities forms in Foxholl
Union of Baptists Communities forms in Foxholl
Battle at Laing's Neck Natal: Boers beat superior powered British
Battle at Laing's Neck Natal: Boers beat superior powered British
Events After
The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jers
The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey
Bob Rogers is acknowledged as the first American pro sports trainer when he is hired by the NY Athletic Club
Bob Rogers is acknowledged as the first American pro sports trainer when he is hired by the NY Athletic Club
US Senator Albert B. Fall (21) weds Emma Garland Morgan in Clarksville, Texas
US Senator Albert B. Fall (21) weds Emma Garland Morgan in Clarksville, Texas
Brooklyn Bridge is opened by President Chester A. Arthur and NY Governor Grover Cleveland
Brooklyn Bridge is opened by President Chester A. Arthur and NY Governor Grover Cleveland
Krakatoa volcano, located west of Java in Indonesia, erupts with a force of 200 megatons of TNT, killing approximately 3
Krakatoa volcano, located west of Java in Indonesia, erupts with a force of 200 megatons of TNT, killing approximately 36,000 people
More from the 1880s
The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic kno
The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge" [1]
The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jers
The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey
American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in
American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1916
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on August 3, 1882?
- The Immigration Act of 1917, or the Burnett Act, was a United States Act that aimed to restrict immigration by imposing literacy tests on immigrants, creating new categories of inadmissible persons, and barring immigration from the Asia–Pacific region. The most sweeping immigration act the United States had passed until then was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 in marking a turn toward nativism. The 1917 act governed immigration policy until it was amended by the Immigration Act of 1924; both acts were revised by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.
- Why is US Congress passes the first law restricting immigration significant?
- The Immigration Act of 1917, or the Burnett Act, was a United States Act that aimed to restrict immigration by imposing literacy tests on immigrants, creating new categories of inadmissible persons, and barring immigration from the Asia–Pacific region.