Which of these best explains why the 1924 immigration act favored immigrants from northern and Western Europe
the act used the 1920 census to determine national quotas
the act required all immigrants to be protestants
the act required all immigrants to be fluent in English
the act used the 1890 census to determine national quotas
The act used the 1890 census to determine national quotas.
The reason why the 1924 immigration act favored immigrants from northern and Western Europe was that it used the 1890 census to determine national quotas, not the 1920 census as mentioned in the options. The act aimed to restrict immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, as well as Asia, by implementing a quota system based on the number of foreign-born individuals already residing in the United States in 1890. This approach greatly favored immigrants from northern and Western Europe, as they were the predominant groups during that time period.
The most accurate explanation for why the 1924 immigration act favored immigrants from northern and Western Europe is that the act used the 1890 census to determine national quotas.
To understand why this was the case, it is important to examine the context of the 1924 immigration act. During this time, there was a growing sentiment among some lawmakers that the United States should restrict immigration and prioritize certain groups of people over others. These sentiments were often fueled by ideas of racial superiority and nativism, which favored immigrants from northern and Western Europe.
One of the main provisions of the 1924 immigration act was the establishment of national quotas, which imposed restrictions on the number of immigrants that could enter the United States from different countries or regions. These quotas were determined based on the Census Bureau's data from previous years.
Initially, the 1924 act used the 1920 census as the basis for determining national quotas. However, this decision was met with criticism because the 1920 census showed that there was already a significant number of immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe living in the United States. Many lawmakers, who held nativist and xenophobic views, were concerned about the growing number of immigrants from these regions and wanted to limit their entry.
To address these concerns, a compromise was made, and the act was amended to use the 1890 census instead. This decision was seen as more favorable to immigrants from northern and Western Europe because it was based on data from a time when immigration from these regions was higher. By using an older census, the number of immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe was significantly reduced, effectively restricting their entry into the country.
It is worth noting that the 1924 immigration act also introduced other restrictive measures, such as imposing literacy tests and requirements for immigrants to have specific skill sets. However, these measures were not the primary factor behind the act's favoring of immigrants from northern and Western Europe. The primary factor was the utilization of the 1890 census to determine national quotas, which effectively limited immigration from other regions.