World War One erased belief in unrestricted immigration from American minds

Evidence

At least in native American opinion, the issue after the armistice no longer concerned the desirability of restriction but simply the proper degree and kind. The war virtually swept from the American consciousness the old belief in unrestricted immigration. It did so, very simply, by creating an urgent demand for national unity and homogeneity that practically destroyed what the travail of preceding decades had already fatally weakened: the historic confidence in the capacity of American society to assimilate all men automatically. — John Higham, Strangers in the Land, 1811

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Americans mistakenly believe they are different from other nations. — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 121; World War I’s disillusionment killed progressivism’s reform mood

Broader Connections

• Americans mistakenly believe they are different from other nations. #expands (0.80) — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 121