What Is The Political Cartoon The Americanese Wall Depicting?
This political cartoon has Uncle Sam hidden behind a tall wall that reads “Literacy Test” and is pierced all over with pen tips. On the political cartoon, the phrase that reads “You’re welcome, if you can climb it” is printed. The Americanese Wall: Transcript of the TV Show
What does the americanese wall mean?
Raymond O. Evans’s article “The Americanese Wall” provides a scathing analysis of the stringent immigration restrictions advocated for by Alabama congressman John Lawson Burnett. During the drive to approve legislation that was sponsored by Burnett and would eventually become the Immigration Act of 1917, it was published in March 1916 in the comedy magazine Puck. 
Who was Congressman Burnett?
Links to other websites – This page uses content that is available in the public domain from the website of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, which can be found at http://bioguide.congress.gov.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Milford W. Howard | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama’s 7th congressional district March 4, 1899 – May 13, 1919 | Succeeded by Lilius Bratton Rainey |
What is a literacy test and how did it apply to immigrants?
The period of time between the years 1890 and 1917 is commonly referred to by historians as the Progressive Era. Abstract. They define it as a moment when Americans began to identify the difficulties of their more urbanized and industrialized nation, sought to establish the sources of those issues, and worked to figure out remedies that were acceptable to all parties involved.
- The latter were referred to as reforms and featured things like an income tax, government control, a referendum and recall, as well as prohibition.
- At the same time, there was a movement that advocated for stricter restrictions on immigration; yet, very few historians consider this to have been a progressive change.
The majority of people connect it with either the reaction of the late nineteenth century or the nationalism of the first world war. The actions taken by people who are involved in the fight to establish legislation to restrict immigration defy straightforward affiliation to either trend.
- At the beginning of the 1890s, they came to the conclusion that a literacy test, in which each adult immigrant was required to demonstrate his or her ability to read and write, was the most feasible manner of cutting down on the number of new immigrants each year.
- Its proponents initially made arguments that were obviously reactionary.
They argued that implementing a literacy requirement would make it less appealing for people from southern and eastern Europe to move to the north. As a result of this assertion’s failure to convince a sufficient number of parliamentarians to vote in favor of the proposal, proponents shifted their strategy.
- They blamed recent immigrants from other countries for the social and economic problems that the United States was experiencing.
- Therefore, the literacy test would contribute to providing a solution to the problem.
- The restrictionists, often known as those who wanted wider legislative exclusion, had to wait several years before they were successful.
They were faced with a myriad of challenges, one of which was the veto power of four presidents. A literacy test measure was finally approved by Congress in 1917, making it the last of them. Test proponents were successful in achieving their objective because they made use of compelling new arguments and an effective organizational structure.
What was the purpose of the Immigration Act of 1917?
The Immigration Act of 1917, sometimes referred to as the Asiatic Barred Zone Act, was approved by the United States Congress on February 5th, 1917. The act’s primary focus was on people moving to the United States from Asian countries since it was supposed to stop “undesirables” from entering the country.
In accordance with the terms of the legislation, individuals hailing from “any country not possessed by the United States contiguous to the continent of Asia” were not permitted to immigrate to the United States. A test of English literacy was also included in the measure, in addition to an increase in the tax rate to eight dollars per person for immigrants older than sixteen years of age.
The new law was not intended to have an effect on immigrants from Northern and Western Europe; rather, it was intended to target immigrants from Asia, Mexico, and the Mediterranean in an effort to reduce their migration. One of the authors of the law, John Burnett, a congressman from Alabama, predicted that it would prevent around forty percent of immigration from the Mediterranean, ninety percent of immigrants from Mexico, and all immigrants from India and other non-Caucasians.
Additionally, the measure placed restrictions on the immigration of those who were destitute, had criminal histories, or were suspected of being involved in prostitution. This included people who were mentally or physically handicapped. The bill’s supporters said that it would prevent those from entering the nation who would be a burden and would, as a result, “advance the moral and material prosperity” of new immigrants who were allowed to enter.
The measure remained a valid piece of legislation for the following 35 years, until the passage of the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952, which did away with racial limitations in immigration and naturalization laws.
What ended literacy tests?
On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson gave his signature to officially enact this measure into law. Literacy tests were one of the discriminatory voting practices that were introduced in several southern states in the years after the Civil War. This legislation made it illegal for those practices to continue.
What’s the meaning of literacy test?
Examples from the Top Quiz on Definitions The intricacy of the word is used here to determine the appropriate grade level. The intricacy of the word is used here to determine the appropriate grade level. a test of one’s ability to read and write that is used to assess whether or not a person fulfills the literacy criteria for voting, participating in the military services, or other similar activities; sometimes known as a literacy exam.
When was the literacy test created for immigrants?
Although this law is best known for its creation of a ‘barred zone’ extending from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, from which no persons were allowed to enter the United States, the law’s primary restriction consisted of a literacy test that was intended to reduce the number of people immigrating from Europe.
How did 1920s immigration policy reflect the concept of race in the United States?
In what ways did the United States’ immigration policy of the 1920s reflect the notion of ‘race’ in the country? Citizenship was granted to those from southern and eastern Europe on the condition that they could establish their “whiteness.” – On the basis of a biological definition of ‘inferiority in race,’ American Indians were refused citizenship in the United States.
What was the purpose of the Immigration Act of 1924 quizlet?
Through the use of a national origins quota, the Immigration Act of 1924 was able to restrict the total number of people who were permitted to enter the United States as immigrants. According to the results of the national census conducted in 1890, the quota allotted immigration permits to 2% of the total population of each nationality that was already living in the United States.
What was the main objective of the National Origins Act of 1924?
Examples from the Top Quiz on Definitions A statute that overtly discriminated against those seeking to immigrate from southern and eastern Europe and almost completely excluded people of Asian descent severely restricted immigration by establishing a system of national quotas.
What is a literacy test quizlet?
Assessments of Literacy A requirement that voters must be able to read; in the past, this requirement was employed in the South to prevent blacks from voting. The Smog Tax.
What is the literacy test 1917?
Because of these worries, the United States Congress has passed three laws to restrict immigration, and each legislation is worse than the one that came before it. These laws are collectively referred to as the “Closed Door” policy.
- Literacy Test, 1917: Immigrants were required to successfully complete a battery of reading and writing examinations. Due to the fact that many of the poorer immigrants, particularly those coming from eastern Europe, had no formal education, they were unable to pass the examinations and were thus denied admittance.
- Act of 1921 Concerning Emergency Quotas: This law established a quota while also putting a cap on the number of immigrants allowed to enter the country each year at 357,000. Only 3% of the entire population of any overseas group that had previously settled in the United States by the year 1910 was allowed to immigrate to the country after 1921. Because there were already so many people from these countries living in the United States, the quota system gave priority to immigration from western Europe and Britain.
- The National Origins Act of 1924: This legislation restricted the maximum number of immigrants to 150,000 per year and cut the quota to 2%, based on the population of the USA in 1890. This law was enacted in response to a growing concern about the impact of immigration on the economy. This legislation, much like its predecessor, placed limits on the amount of people who may immigrate from southern and eastern Europe. Additionally, people from Asia were not allowed to immigrate. However, it did not apply to people who had immigrated from Mexico because Mexicans provided a significant portion of the labor force that California farmers needed.
The statement “America must be retained for the Americans” was made famous by President Calvin Coolidge. Many people found that the ‘open door’ policy of the United States was no longer in effect.
- Three of five pages
What were literacy tests in Jim Crow?
Literacy exams were performed at the discretion of the officials in charge of voter registration, and their purpose was to prevent persons of color and, on occasion, impoverished whites from casting ballots. These tests were also utilized. If the administrator wanted someone to pass the exam, he may ask the easiest question possible, such as “Who is the president of the United States?” It’s possible that the same authority would demand that a black individual answer each and every question properly in an unreasonably short amount of time in order to pass the test.