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Although in the colonial period,
there was a strong push for immigration; prejudice against Catholics was always
evident. This was due to the connections between the Puritans that came to
America as an escape from the England Church.
In 1798, Thomas Jefferson felt that there was a need to suppress the
newcomers into the country, he passed the Alien Acts. It is quite clear that
the Federalists saw foreigners as a deep threat to American Security, and one Federalist
in Congress stated that there wasn’t any need to “invite hordes of Wild
Irishmen, nor the turbulent and disorderly of the entire world, to come here
with a basic view to distract our tranquility.” The Alien Act also used the Naturalization
Act to lengthen the requirement for foreigners to receive citizenship from five
to 14 years. This was primarily aimed at French and Irish immigrants, most of
whom were Catholics and/or Republicans.