Download Laws, Legislation, Documents

Laws, Legislation, Documents
Volstead Act (1919)
The Volstead Act is the common name given to the National Prohibition Act.
Senator Andrew Volstead had overseen its passage in Congress. The law set forth
procedures for enforcing the 18th Amendment. It defined “intoxicating liquors,” set
forth exceptions for medicinal purposes, and established criminal penalties.
Emergency Quota Act (1921)
This legislation represented the backlash of Americans against the huge immigration
wave of the early 20th century. It set forth a quota system that clearly favored
immigrant groups from northern and western Europe, areas that no longer had large
groups wanting to come. It discriminated against immigrants from southern and
eastern Europe, areas that had represented the largest sources of immigration since
1890. Each nation was given a quota based on 3% of the number of people from that
nation living in the United States in 1910, based on census data. It immediately
reduced immigration from southern and eastern Europe. Its discriminatory policies
reflected theories of the day that argued that certain national groups were innately
superior to others.
Washington Naval Treaty (1922)
Motivated by the belief that the naval race of the early 20th century had helped lead
to World War I, this treaty signed by the major powers of the world limited national
navies to a proportional formula representing hundreds of thousands of tons of
shipping. Noted simply as 5:5:3:1:1, it gave the U.S. and Britain the right to the
world’s largest navies. Japan agreed to restrict its navy to 60% of that size, and Italy
and France agreed to restrict their navies to 20% of that figure. In the 1930s, Japan
would scrap the treaty and refuse to abide by any limitations.
Immigration Act of 1924
This act replaced the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and restricted even further the
immigration to America of groups not favored by the majority of Americans. It
based new quotas on 2% of the number of people from a nation living in the United
States in 1890, tilting quotas even further in the favor of people from northern and
western Europe. It also prohibited immigration of Asians.
Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
Named for U.S. Secretary of State Frank Kellogg and French Foreign Minister
Aristide Briand, this international treaty attempted to make war illegal. All 62
nations that signed the treaty agreed to renounce “war as an instrument of national
policy.” Kellogg and Briand won the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts. Signatories
included Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930)
Many historians see this measure as the biggest economic blunder of the Hoover
Administration. It raised tariff rates to historically high levels in an attempt to
protect American workers and farmers from foreign competition. Instead, it led to
retaliatory measures by other foreign governments, severely damaging trade, and
hurting the economy even more.
Lindbergh Law (1932)
Formally known as the Federal Kidnapping Act, this bill authorized federal
authorities, particularly the F.B.I., to take charge of kidnapping cases once suspects
crossed state lines. This law was based on the belief that federal authorities could
better handle and solve such cases than could state and local police. The law was
passed in direct response to the abduction and murder of Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr.
in March of 1932, a crime that shocked the nation.