U.S. Immigration in the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century

U.S. immigration during the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century was heavily influenced by changes in federal immigration policy. Restrictive laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and immigration restrictions of 1907 set quotas and established requirements for entry of immigrants into the country. During this period, immigration was also motivated by the political and economic upheaval occurring in Europe, leading to a large wave of European migration to the United States. The country's liberal immigration policies prior to World War I meant that there were no severe restrictions on the number of people who could enter the country. This resulted in an influx of immigrants from all parts of the world, prompting the development of the first large-scale immigration processing facilities, such as Ellis Island in New York City and Angel Island in San Francisco. The mid-19th century to early 20th century was also a period of labor shortage in the U.S. which led to the importation of workers from Asia and Southern Europe to fill the void. Additionally, this period saw the emergence of a number of national origin quotas which aimed to limit the number of immigrants of particular ethnicities from certain countries.