Which act, passed during World War I, imposed literacy tests and other restrictions on immigration?

Which act, passed during World War I, imposed literacy tests and other restrictions on immigration?

• A. Chinese Exclusion Act
• B. Immigration Act of 1917
• C. Emergency Quota Act
• D. National Origins Act

Answer: (B)

Immigration restrictions during World War I reflect how wartime fear shaped policy. The Immigration Act of 1917 introduced a literacy test for entrants over a certain age and added other screening measures, expanding the grounds on which someone could be barred from entering the United States. This change aimed to reduce immigration from groups viewed with suspicion and to promote assimilation under wartime conditions. Earlier measures like the Chinese Exclusion Act targeted specific groups in the 19th century, while later acts in the 1920s relied on quotas rather than literacy testing.

Immigration restrictions during World War I reflect how wartime fear shaped policy. The Immigration Act of 1917 introduced a literacy test for entrants over a certain age and added other screening measures, expanding the grounds on which someone could be barred from entering the United States. This change aimed to reduce immigration from groups viewed with suspicion and to promote assimilation under wartime conditions. Earlier measures like the Chinese Exclusion Act targeted specific groups in the 19th century, while later acts in the 1920s relied on quotas rather than literacy testing.