Skip to main content

Lesson Plan, Article, Video :

Lesson Plan, Article, Video Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 – Civil Rights Movement Era

  • Grade Level 3rd-12th Grade
  • Time Period 1950 - 1969
Open Resource (opens in new tab)

Introduction

This lesson will explore past U.S. immigration laws that affected Asian immigration and naturalization, how the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 came about because of the Civil Rights Movement, and how the 1965 Act changed the demographics of the country over the next twenty years and beyond.

Objectives

  • Learn it was the struggle for civil rights led by African Americans that led to the change of immigration law in U.S. from the quota system to family reunification system.
  • Students will learn about the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, how it impacted Asian Americans, and transformed the makeup of America’s population.
  • Students will learn about past immigration laws that restricted Asian immigration to the United States and their eligibility for naturalization.
  • Students will learn about different points of view on immigration during the 1800s, 1960s, and today.

Essential Questions

  • What events in the United States led to the creation of the Immigration and Nationality of Act 1965? What was its original intent?

  • How did Black Americans help Asian immigration?

  • How did the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 affect Asian immigration and naturalization?

  • How did the 1965 Immigration Act change the makeup of the U.S. population?

  • What were some past laws that affected Asian American immigration and naturalization in the United States? Why were these laws created?

  • What were some of the different viewpoints on immigration by activists, politicians and intergovernmental agencies during the 1800s, 1960s, and today?