Oral+History+Research

__Post World War II Immigration__ During World War II, all of Europe was fighting with each other. The Russians fought with countries like the United States and Great Britain against Germany and Italy. During this war the Soviet Union took over countries in Eastern Europe such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Estonia, and Bulgaria. The Germans were putting Gypsies, Communists, disabled people, and Jewish people in concentration camps. This event was called the Holocaust and killed thousands. The war took a toll on almost everybody in Europe and most of Europe was destroyed. After World War II many Americans were anti-immigrant. People had sympathy for the victims of the war but thought that they should go back to and start their lives in their old countries, not America. President Truman decided that in 1946, he would allow 40,000 refugees to immigrate to America. Many refugees came and because of Communism spreading, President Truman increased that number and said that 400,000 Displaced Persons could come to the United States between 1948 and 1952. The United States was scared of Communism and wanted to stop it. During the years of 1948 to 1952 many people came over to the US. At least 140,000 Jews came, 178,00 Poles, 45,000 Latvians, 30,000 Lithuanians, 16,000 Hungarians, and 12,000 Czechs immigrated to the US between 1946 and 1954. These countries were sometimes called “Iron Curtain Countries”. People from Iron Curtain Countries made up 25% of those who immigrated to the United States Between 1946 and 1958. Many of these people would have difficulties learning English and would go to ethnic communities established by previous immigrants. Later, the government changed the immigration policies even more. Many more people wanted to come to the United States and the government developed “quota mortgaging”. This meant that refugees from Communism could use up future years’ quotas to immigrate to the US. Latvia used up a century’s worth of quotas. Because so many more people were coming, the McCarran-Walter Act was passed which allowed the Attorney General to admit unlimited amounts of immigrants temporarily for emergencies or reasons “deemed strictly in the public interest”. These immigration laws have given opportunity to many who otherwise may have had a terrible life and have helped America become the “melting pot” that it is.