Calvin Coolidge (1872 – 1933)

On May 26, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge (above) signed
into law the Immigration Act of 1924, the most stringent U.S.   
immigration policy up to that time in the nation’s history.

The new law—also known as the Johnson-Reed Immigration
Act, reflected the desire of Americans to isolate themselves 
from the world after fighting World War I in Europe, which
exacerbated growing fears of the spread of communist ideas. 

It also reflected the pervasiveness of racial discrimination in
American society at the time. Many Americans saw the huge 
influx of largely unskilled, uneducated immigrants during the 
early 1900s as causing unfair competition for jobs and land.