National Origins Formula facts for kids
The National Origins Formula was a set of rules used in the United States from 1921 to 1965. These rules limited how many people could come to America from different countries, especially from the Eastern Hemisphere. The main idea was to control immigration based on where people came from. This wasn't just one single rule, but a collection of laws and acts that changed over time.
History of Immigration Quotas
The U.S. first started using temporary limits on immigration in 1921 with the Emergency Quota Act. This law said that only 3% of the people from each country who were already living in the U.S. in 1910 could come to America each year.
Then came the Immigration Act of 1924, also called the National Origins Act. This law changed the limit to 2% and used the 1890 census data instead of 1910. After 1927, the total number of immigrants allowed from all countries was capped at 150,000 per year. Each country's share was based on its population in the U.S. in 1920.
The main goals of these laws were to:
- Keep the existing mix of ethnic groups in the U.S.
- Reduce the number of immigrants who didn't have special skills.
- Help families already in the U.S. to reunite.
The 1924 Act also included the Asian Exclusion Act. This law effectively stopped most people from East Asia and South Asia from immigrating. People from Africa also faced strict limits. However, immigration from North and South America was not restricted by these quotas.
How Quotas Were Calculated
Under the Immigration Act of 1924, government groups like the Census Bureau figured out how many white people from each country lived in the U.S. in 1920. They then calculated what percentage each nationality made up of the total white population.
The National Origins Formula then used these percentages to decide how many immigrants could come from each country out of a total of 150,000 allowed immigrants each year. For example, if people from Germany made up a certain percentage of the U.S. population in 1920, then that same percentage of the 150,000 annual spots would go to German immigrants.
This formula was used until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. That act simplified the rule, allowing each country a quota equal to one-sixth of one percent of its 1920 population count in the U.S., with a minimum of 100 immigrants per country.
Here is a table showing the estimated population counts and percentage shares for various countries in 1920, which were used to calculate the quotas:
| Country of origin | Population count | Percentage share |
|---|---|---|
 Austria |
843,000 | 0.942% |
 Belgium |
778,000 | 0.869% |
 Czechoslovakia |
1,715,000 | 1.916% |
 Denmark |
705,000 | 0.788% |
 Estonia |
69,000 | 0.077% |
 Finland |
339,000 | 0.379% |
 France |
1,842,000 | 2.058% |
 Germany |
15,489,000 | 17.305% |
 Greece |
183,000 | 0.204% |
 Hungary |
519,000 | 0.580% |
 Ireland |
10,653,000 | 11.902% |
 Italy |
3,462,000 | 3.868% |
 Latvia |
141,000 | 0.158% |
 Lithuania |
230,000 | 0.257% |
 Netherlands |
1,881,000 | 2.102% |
 Norway |
1,419,000 | 1.585% |
 Poland |
3,893,000 | 4.349% |
 Portugal |
263,000 | 0.294% |
 Romania |
176,000 | 0.197% |
 Russia |
1,661,000 | 1.856% |
 Spain |
150,000 | 0.168% |
 Sweden |
1,977,000 | 2.209% |
 Syria/ Lebanon |
73,000 | 0.082% |
 Switzerland |
1,019,000 | 1.138% |
 Turkey |
135,000 | 0.151% |
 United Kingdom |
39,216,000 | 43.814% |
 Yugoslavia |
504,000 | 0.563% |
1920  USA Total (White) |
89,507,000 | 100.000% |
The National Origins Formula officially ended on July 1, 1968. It was replaced by simpler limits: 120,001 immigrants from the Western Hemisphere and 170,000 from the Eastern Hemisphere. No more than 20,000 people could come from any single country. These new limits stayed in place until the Immigration Act of 1990.
Ending the Quota System
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 kept the National Origins Formula but made it a bit less strict. It removed racial restrictions, meaning people of all races could apply, but still limited immigration based on national origin. President Harry S. Truman did not agree with keeping national quotas and tried to stop the act, but Congress passed it anyway. This was in addition to about 600,000 refugees who came to Europe after World War II.
The National Origins Formula was completely removed by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. This was a very big change in how America handled immigration. Instead of country-specific quotas, it set overall limits for the Western and Eastern hemispheres.
