Which act established quotas based on national origins and favored immigrants from Western and Northern Europe?

Which act established quotas based on national origins and favored immigrants from Western and Northern Europe?

• A. Immigration Act of 1907
• B. Emergency Quota Act
• C. Immigration Act of 1924
• D. Naturalization Act of 1790

Answer: (C)

Quotas based on nationality and a preference for people from Western and Northern Europe shaped U.S. immigration policy. The Immigration Act of 1924 established a national origins quota system that set annual limits for each country and, by using the 1890 census as a baseline, favored immigrants from the populations already most represented in the United States. This dramatically restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and almost excluded Asians, reflecting a shift toward preserving the existing ethnic makeup of the country. The earlier Emergency Quota Act had introduced temporary limits, but the 1924 act created the enduring, origin-based quotas. By contrast, the Naturalization Act of 1790 dealt with who could become a citizen, not with immigration quotas, and the earlier immigration acts did not implement the same origin-based preference structure.

Quotas based on nationality and a preference for people from Western and Northern Europe shaped U.S. immigration policy. The Immigration Act of 1924 established a national origins quota system that set annual limits for each country and, by using the 1890 census as a baseline, favored immigrants from the populations already most represented in the United States. This dramatically restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and almost excluded Asians, reflecting a shift toward preserving the existing ethnic makeup of the country. The earlier Emergency Quota Act had introduced temporary limits, but the 1924 act created the enduring, origin-based quotas. By contrast, the Naturalization Act of 1790 dealt with who could become a citizen, not with immigration quotas, and the earlier immigration acts did not implement the same origin-based preference structure.