The Immigration Act of 1924
Map showing the immigration limits throughout Europe
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As stated in Ch. 185, 190. 1924 of the United States laws, only 3,954 French people were allowed to come to America. This was vastly unfair compared to other immigrant groups such as Germans who were allowed 51,227 people or The English, who were allowed 34,007 people. While they were allowed to come En Masse, the French were scrunitized at Ellis Island and had much stricter limits on who was let in, why they were let in and the amount of Immigrants annualy. Compared to other major European immigration groups of that time, they had some of the strictest limits and were allowed the least amount of people.
As part of the law, immigrants also had to go through rigorous literacy tests that were designed for the failure of anyone who was not born in an English speaking household. All though the United States does not have an offical language, nor did it ever, the test was only allowed to be given in English, further contributing to the descrimation against French immigrants. |
The Peck Act of 1922
The Peck Education Act was a law that was passed in Rhode Island that stated that all schools had to be taught in English. This would have even affected private schools and was used as a way of keeping people uneducated. Throughout history, it has been found that the best way to keep people oppressed is too keep them ignorant and what better way to do that than making education inaccessible. This heavily effected schools such as those in Woonsocket, where there was a dense population of French people who were attending parochial schools. While many claim that it was only in law for a year or so, it left a trial of racism and hatred in its path.
Revolutionary War
The French settled in Illinois and northern Mississippi were harmed during the revolutionary years. After the French stopped supporting the Americans in 1781. The French stopped their support because the British were defeated at Yorktown. The settler's prosperity and independence then ended. their land was taken away and by the end of the 18th Century, there were no more significant French settlements in the Northern Mississippi Valley.
Political Cartoons
The United States had poltical cartoons that showed the French negatively. In these political cartoons, the French are shown as anti-American. This negititve attitude towards the French has clearly solidified with anger towards the French Immigrants. These poltical cartoons portray the French Govenrment