Sabath Act facts for kids

The Sabath Act was a special law in the United States that helped protect immigrants. It created a system to keep new arrivals safe as they traveled to their new homes.

What Did the Sabath Act Do?

A politician named Adolph J. Sabath from Illinois helped create this law. He was a Representative, which means he was elected to speak for people in the U.S. Congress.

This law was passed in July 1913. It set up special government offices, called "Federal Bureaus," at train stations. These offices were there to protect immigrants from people who didn't like them. These people, sometimes called nativists, believed that only people born in the country should be there. The offices also helped new immigrants travel across the country to find their new homes.

The government rented buildings close to these train stations. These places had welcoming rooms, bathrooms, laundry facilities, and beds. They were like safe stops for travelers.

Later, in the 1920s, new laws made it harder for people to immigrate to the U.S. Because of this, the government stopped giving money to the Sabath Act. Even though the law was still officially on the books, it was no longer used.