Source 1
Between 1820 and 1957, approximately how many people migrated from Eastern Europe and Russia to the United States.
3.8 million people
This 1952 Act upheld the national origins quota system and was passed despite President Truman's veto.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
This era in U.S. history saw heightened deportations aimed at foreign-born individuals, particularly targeting perceived political radicals.
The McCarthy era
This immigrant group, represented by the blue line on the graph, includes people from the USSR, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Poland.
The USSR and Baltic immigrants
This senator from Nevada was a key supporter of the 1952 Act, arguing it was necessary to prevent communist infiltration through immigration.
Pat McCarran
What term describes the government’s efforts to remove foreign-born individuals perceived as threats to national security during the McCarthy era
Deportation
This immigrant group, represented by the black line on the graph, consists of individuals from Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.
Other Eastern European immigrants
The 1952 Act ended exclusion for this group of immigrants but continued to limit their entry to the country.
Asian immigrants
This agency, often working with the FBI, was involved in the detention and deportation of individuals suspected of communist ties during the Cold War.
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
Migration from Eastern Europe and Russia sharply declined after this event in 1917, which led to significant political and social changes in the region
The Russian Revolution
This Congressman from New York opposed the 1952 Act, criticizing the national origins quota system for favoring Northern and Western Europeans.
Emanuel Celler
Immigration policy during the McCarthy Era was framed as a tool to protect against this perceived internal threat to the U.S. government.
Communism
Following the Russian Revolution, the number of migrants from Eastern Europe and Russia dropped to this figure or lower per year until World War II and well into the Cold War.
Below 1,000
This Cold War context led to the 1952 Act's focus on national security, with concerns over unassimilated immigrants posing a threat to American life.
Fear of communist infiltration
This 1952 act expanded the U.S. government's power to deport immigrants based on political beliefs during the McCarthy Era.
McCarran-Walter Act