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 Since
1790, Indian Americans have been in the United States drawn
by the educational and economic opportunities coupled with
political freedom.
Indian immigration has occurred in three distinct waves.
The earliest immigrants came as indentured servants or on
merchant trading ships. Little is known about them and many
disappeared into the US slave population or returned
home.
In the late 1890s, however, poor laborers from Punjab
began coming in larger numbers, drawn by advertisements from
steamship companies about economic opportunities working for
lumber mills in the Pacific Northwest.
While hard workers, they faced significant opposition
from organized labor, which felt threatened by the new
immigrants who were willing to work longer hours for less
pay. These labor groups began petitioning the government to
stop immigration from Asia. In 1918, they succeeded; the
Congress passed a law barring immigration from Asia.
It was not until 1946, when Congress passed the
Luce-Cellar Act that the ban on Indian immigration was
lifted. A annual quota of 100 immigrants per year was
established.
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Legislation
AILA Advocacy Update
History
A
Brief History )
Population
Percentage
of Asian pop.
Residential
Distribution
Top
10 Populous States
Top
5 Populous Cities
Age,
Sex Characteristics
Immigration
Immigration
)
Immigration
)
Income,
Education, & Occupation
Household
Income
Mean
Wage & Salary
Educational
Attainment
Occupational
Distribution
Poverty
Statistics
Political
Participation
Citizenship
Voter
Reg. & Turnout
Campaign
Contributions
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