President Wilson vetoes U.S. Immigration bill

Historical Context Note

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On the 14th of December, 1916 President Woodrow Wilson (28th December, 1856 - 3rd February, 1924) vetoed the Immigration Act, which sought to expand the number of undesirables barred from entering the US. The list included 'idiots', 'criminals', 'insane persons' and the 'mentally or physically defective'. The President had particularly objected to the banning of the illiterate. The bill was eventually passed in 1917, despite the President's veto, and would also introduce an 'Asiatic Barred Zone' designating that people from much of eastern Asia and the Pacific Islands could not immigrate to the US.

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12271 President Wilson vetoes U.S. Immigration bill 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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