The founding fathers of the United States believed so strongly that all persons were created equal that they made this principle the basis of their complaint against King George III of England in the Declaration of Independence. While most Americans would like to think that they are fair and nonjudgmental toward those of other races, national origin, or religion, a review of American immigration policy shows that at times, Americans have been extremely xenophobic.

America’s first immigrants were largely English, French, and Dutch, who came to the New World to settle colonies. Then, in the early nineteenth century, due to changing world circumstances, the composition of immigrants began to change. The number of Irish and German immigrants doubled, and then tripled. American residents were alarmed first of all by the magnitude of the number of new...