Wartime fears, cultural tensions, and economic anxieties fueled a surge in nativism, prompting policymakers to restrict immigration through quota systems that reshaped America’s demographic landscape during and after World War I.

Rising Nativism in the World War I Era

Heightened nationalism during World War I intensified suspicion toward immigrants, especially those from nations viewed as political or cultural threats. The perception that “unassimilated” populations endangered American unity gained momentum as labor unrest, political radicalism, and wartime propaganda created a climate of distrust. Nativism—preference for native-born Americans and hostility toward immigrants—became a powerful cultural and political force.

This atmosphere allowed longstanding biases against southern and eastern Europeans to merge with new fears of radical ideologies such as anarchism and socialism. Anti-immigrant rhetoric increasingly framed newcomers as threats to national security and cultural cohesion.

Sources of Nativist Sentiment

Americans who embraced nativism frequently justified their stance through multiple intertwined concerns:

• Political fears that immigrants carried radical ideologies linked to the Red Scare and labor activism.

• Economic anxieties that immigrant labor undercut wages and contributed to job competition during postwar readjustment.

• Cultural and religious prejudice toward Catholic, Jewish, and Orthodox Christian immigrants from eastern and southern Europe.

• Pseudoscientific racial theories that claimed Anglo-Saxon superiority and labeled other European groups as biologically “inferior.”

These arguments blended with wartime propaganda that portrayed immigrant communities—especially those from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire—as potential subversives, further strengthening public support for restriction.

Legislative Movement Toward Restriction

Congress responded to these pressures with laws that increasingly limited the number and origin of immigrants permitted to enter the United States. Wartime legislation, such as literacy requirements, paved the way for more sweeping restrictions. Policymakers framed these measures as necessary to protect national security and preserve American cultural identity.

The Emergency Quota Act of 1921

This act established the first broad numerical limits on immigration by creating a quota system tied to the 1910 census. The law drastically curtailed immigration from the regions Americans associated with radicalism and cultural difference.

This 1921 cartoon shows a huge funnel channeling European immigrants toward the United States, with Uncle Sam allowing only a small trickle to enter. It visually represents early quota-era restriction and the narrowing of immigrant admissions. The image underscores how nativist fears translated into restrictive immigration policies in the years immediately after World War I. Source.

• Capped annual immigration to 3% of each nationality’s population in the United States as recorded in 1910.

• Significantly reduced arrivals from southern and eastern Europe while maintaining higher quotas for northern and western European nations.

• Reflected the belief that earlier immigrant groups from northern Europe better matched American political and cultural ideals.

The Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson–Reed Act)

This legislation intensified the quota system and permanently altered U.S. immigration patterns.

• Lowered the quota to 2% based on the 1890 census, further reducing southern and eastern European immigration.

• Completely barred immigration from Asia, expanding earlier exclusionary policies targeting Chinese and Japanese immigrants.

• Set annual numerical ceilings and established visas, formalizing federal oversight of immigration.

The act institutionalized racial and ethnic hierarchies by favoring immigrants deemed racially “desirable” while marginalizing others.

The Role of Wartime Context

The specification’s emphasis on wartime nativism is essential: World War I created conditions that made restrictive policies politically viable.

Wartime Pressures That Encouraged Restriction

• Espionage and Sedition Acts amplified fears that immigrants might undermine the war effort.

• Government propaganda urged cultural conformity, increasing hostility toward those perceived as insufficiently “American.”

• Attacks on labor activists, many of whom were immigrants, linked ethnic identity with political radicalism.

These pressures extended into the postwar period, culminating in the 1919–1920 Red Scare, which further galvanized restrictionists.

Impact on Asian Immigration

Nativism also shaped longstanding exclusionary policies toward Asian immigrants. The 1924 act reinforced a racial boundary that policymakers described as essential to protecting American society.

While earlier laws targeted Chinese immigrants, the new legislation expanded restrictions to virtually all Asian groups, tightening barriers far more than for European immigrants.

This 1882 cartoon depicts a Chinese immigrant barred from entering the “Golden Gate of Liberty,” while other groups—including radicals—are welcomed. It illustrates the racialized logic behind early Asian exclusion laws. Although it predates the quota era, it clarifies the discriminatory foundations that shaped the expanded anti-Asian restrictions of the 1920s. Source.

Social and Cultural Consequences of Quotas

The quota system reshaped American demographics and reinforced cultural hierarchies. Its effects included:

• Reduced ethnic diversity among new arrivals, slowing the influx from many European regions.

• Strengthened ideas of a narrowly defined American identity centered on Anglo-Saxon heritage.

• Reinforced racial discrimination both in law and public perception, especially toward Asian and southern and eastern European communities.

• Increased pressures on immigrant groups already living in the United States to assimilate under heightened scrutiny.

These laws remained the foundation of U.S. immigration policy until the mid-20th century, marking a significant turning point in federal regulation of migration.