Question

which of the following statements accurately describe immigration historically in the united states?

correct answer(s)

the use of ethnic and racial criteria to restrict the countrys population first began with the passage of the immigration act of 1924.

after world war i, congress passed the immigration act of 1924, which put into place a national origins quota system and resulted in nearly all immigrants from asian and african countries being banned from admission.

the first estimates of native peoples and latinos in the mid-1800s showed that each group made up more than 10 percent of the total population.

in 1790, 81 percent of americans traced their roots to europe, mostly britain and elsewhere in northern europe.

incorrect answer(s)

Explanation:

Evaluate the historical accuracy of each statement

• Statement 1: "The use of ethnic and racial criteria to restrict the country's population first began with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924."
• Analysis: This is historically incorrect. Racial and ethnic restrictions began much earlier, notably with the Page Act of 1875 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

• Statement 2: "After World War I, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924, which put into place a national origins quota system and resulted in nearly all immigrants from Asian and African countries being banned from admission."
• Analysis: This is historically correct. The Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed Act) established national origins quotas based on 2% of the foreign-born population in the 1890 census and virtually excluded all Asian immigrants while severely limiting immigration from Africa.

• Statement 3: "The first estimates of Native peoples and Latinos in the mid-1800s showed that each group made up more than 10 percent of the total population."
• Analysis: This is historically incorrect. In the mid-1800s, neither Native peoples nor Latinos made up more than 10% of the officially recorded U.S. population.

• Statement 4: "In 1790, 81 percent of Americans traced their roots to Europe, mostly Britain and elsewhere in northern Europe."
• Analysis: This is historically correct. According to historical census analyses of the 1790 population, approximately 81% of the population was of European descent (predominantly British and northern European), while the remaining portion was primarily enslaved and free African Americans.

Answer:

• The use of ethnic and racial criteria to restrict the country's population first began with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924.
• After World War I, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924, which put into place a national origins quota system and resulted in nearly all immigrants from Asian and African countries being banned from admission. (Correct answer)
• The first estimates of Native peoples and Latinos in the mid-1800s showed that each group made up more than 10 percent of the total population.
• In 1790, 81 percent of Americans traced their roots to Europe, mostly Britain and elsewhere in northern Europe. (Correct answer)