TOW #23 - The Only Way to Handle It

In 1920-1921, the United States received roughly 800,000 mostly European immigrants. Immigration rates had picked back up again after the end of World War I. During this time period, the U.S. was more desirable than ever for people wanting to improve their lives and take advantage of the opportunities the new world power had to offer. However, the massive amount of immigration caused the American government to put a limit on the number of immigrants able to enter the country. Initially, the U.S. passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 setting a quota where the number of people allowed to enter was 2 percent of the people of their nationality that were already in the U.S. In 1924, the Immigration Act lowered this percentage to 2 and changed the population-base numbers from the 1910 census to the those from the 1890 census. This made the amount of immigrants able to come in even smaller being that there were less European immigrants in 1890. This cartoon depicts Uncle Sam controlling the narrow opening that is allowing immigrants into the U.S. Uncle Sam is representing the U.S. and it’s government. The funnel is a visual depiction of the restriction of the number of people allowed in. At the opening of the tunnel, there are thousands of people trying to get through the funnel. However, only a few make it through the opening and into the country. The creator of this political cartoon wanted to show the unfairness of the Immigration Act and how it kept out thousands of people who wanted to improve their way of life in a similar way to the first settlers did. With this thinking, the cartoon can also serve as a criticism of American nationalism, the disapproval of “New immigrants” coming into America. Overall, the creator was able to broadcast a strong message about immigration to America in the 20s with this cartoon.