Monday, November 30, 2015

 

To be or NOT to BEcome an American..

To be or NOT to BEcome an American.....NOT the Way we ROLL....sorry charlie...


from the link
http://library.uwb.edu/static/USimmigration/1952_immigration_and_nationality_act.html


1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, a.k.a. the McCarran-Walter Act (An act to revise the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality; and for other purposes)
H.R. 13342; Pub.L. 414; 182 Stat. 66.
82nd Congress; June 27, 1952.
You can find the full text of this law here or download the PDF.

SUMMARY
Otherwise known as the McCarran-Walter Act, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 was meant to exclude certain immigrants from immigrating to America, post World War II and in the early Cold War. The McCarran-Walter Act moved away from excluding immigrants based simply upon country of origin. Instead it focused upon denying immigrants who were unlawful, immoral, diseased in any way, politically radical etc. and accepting those who were willing and able to assimilate into the US economic, social, and political structures, which restructured how immigration law was handled. Furthermore, the most notable exclusions were anyone even remotely associated with communism which in the early days of the Cold War was seen as a serious threat to US democracy. The main objective of this was to block any spread of communism from outside post WWII countries, as well as deny any enemies of the US during WWII such as Japan and favor “good Asian” countries such as China. The McCarran-Walter Act was a strong reinforcement in immigration selection, which was labeled the best way to preserve national security and national interests. President Truman originally vetoed the law, deeming it discriminatory; however there was enough support in Congress for the law to pass.

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REVISED?

The 1965 act marked a radical break from the immigration policies of the past. The law as it stood then excluded Asians and Africans and preferred northern and western Europeans over southern and eastern ones.[2] At the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960s the law was seen as an embarrassment by, among others, President John F. Kennedy, who called the then-quota-system "nearly intolerable".[3] After Kennedy's assassination, President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill at the foot of the Statue of Liberty as a symbolic foothold of signing the bill.

In order to convince the American people of the legislation's merits, its proponents assured that passage would not influence America's culture significantly. President Johnson called the bill "not a revolutionary bill. It does not affect the lives of millions",[4] while Secretary of State Dean Rusk and other politicians, including Senator Ted Kennedy, hastened to reassure the populace that the demographic mix would not be affected; these assertions would later prove grossly inaccurate.[5]

In line with earlier immigration law, the bill also prohibited the entry into the country of "sexual deviants", including homosexuals. By doing so it crystallized the policy of the INS that had previously been rejecting homosexual immigrants on the grounds that they were "mentally defective" or had a "constitutional psychopathic inferiority". The provision discriminating against gay people was rescinded by the Immigration Act of 1990.[6]
(Summary by Wade Johnson)
RELATED SITES
The McCarran-Walter Act: A Contradictory Legacy on Race, Quotas, and Ideology - A useful overview of the entire conflict of Immigration Nationality Act of 1952, providing information from the point of view of president Truman, Congressman Walter, Senator McCarran, and provides an informative evaluation of the legislation.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (Walter-McCarran Act) - Describes the Act in detail historically, factually, socially, economically, politically and is useful in developing a substantive critique of the INA and its particular effects upon America and immigrants in general.
The Cold War at Home from GoogleBooks - First few sections of a book about the red scare in America which provides useful information about what started the red scare and how the McCarthy tactics were carried out.

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