The Immigration Act of 1903

The Anarchist Exclusion Act

Description

In response to McKinley's assassination, the government passed a law to exclude potential immigrants because of their political beliefs The Anarchist Exclusion Act.

Murdered, Sept 6, 1901

Prompted by the 1901 assassination of President McKinley by an anarchist, the Act reflected growing fears of political radicalism, especially anarchism. President Theodore Roosevelt strongly supported the exclusion of anarchists, and the law marked the first time U.S. immigration policy included questioning immigrants about political beliefs.

Law went into effect, Mar 3, 1903

The Immigration Act of 1903, also known as the Anarchist Exclusion Act, was a U.S. law that expanded immigration restrictions by barring anarchists, people with epilepsy, beggars, and importers of prostitutes from entering the country. Enforcement was limited—only a few anarchists were deported or denied entry—but the law established a precedent for targeting immigrants based on ideology. British anarchist John Turner was the first person deported under the law, with the Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of his removal.

Expanded, 1918

The Act was later expanded by the Immigration Act of 1918 to strengthen anti-radical measures.

Related People & Organizations

William McKinley,On September 6, 1901, Leon F. Czolgosz, an American-born son of Polish immigrants and a self-proclaimed anarchist, assassinated President William McKinley.

Emma Goldman,The police responded by arresting a number of anarchists, including Emma Goldman and a group of Chicago anarchists that published Free Society, the leading English-language communist-anarchist periodical in the US at the time. They were all later released because no evidence of conspiracy could be found.

Theodore Roosevelt,Theodore Roosevelt urged the exclusion and deportation of anarchist immigrants in his first address to Congress on December 3, 1901.

#Events and Stories

#Immigration

#Governance