Reminder that we do NOT live in "unprecedented" times.
On this day on Feb. 5, 1917, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 to block “undesirable” immigrants. That meant a ban on Asian, Mexician, and Mediterranean migrants, literacy tests, new taxes, & excluded the poor, disabled, & criminalized.
Meanwhile white European migrants were welcomed with open arms & given land via Homestead Act.
This racist law was finally repealed in 1952.
Trump wants to revive this fascism. Do not let him.
@QasimRashid To add some historical context, the Homestead Act was passed in 1862 and excluded people who had "borne arms against the U.S. government" (e.g..., those who fought for the South in the Civil War). It obviously had a negative impact on our Native American population, but gave former slaves a chance to obtain land. Unfortunately, it was badly worded and rich folks & corporations took advantage of it.
EnlargeDownload Link Citation: Act of May 20, 1862 (Homestead Act), Public Law 37-64 (12 STAT 392); 5/20/1862; Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789 - 2011; General Records of the United States Government, Record Group 11; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. View All Pages in the National Archives Catalog View Transcript Passed on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and five years of continuous residence on that land.
Qasim Rashid, Esq.
Bill Zaumen