The Immigration Restriction League, was founded in 1894 by people who opposed the influx of "undesirable immigrants" that were coming from southern and eastern Europe. They felt that these immigrants were threatening what they saw as the American way of life and the high wage scale. They worried about immigrants bringing in poverty and organized crime at a time of high unemployment.
The League was founded in Boston and had branches in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. It attracted prominent scholars and philanthropists. An umbrella group, the National Association of Immigration Restriction Leagues was created in 1896 and one of the founders of the original League, Prescott F. Hall, served as its General Secretary from 1896 to 1921.
The League used books, pamphlets, meetings, and numerous newspaper and journal articles to disseminate information and sound the alarm about the dangers of the immigrant flood tide. The League also had political allies that used their power in Congress to gain support for the League’s intentions.
Read more about Immigration Restriction League: Notable Members and Officers
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