Steerage Act of 1819

Growth of the United States as an attractive immigrant destination When the Act was passed, Europe was entering a period of relative peace after many wars, and the United States was also becoming a more stable and prosperous nation. The volume of migration from Europe to the United States was increasing. Many of these migrants arrived in cramped conditions, leading to concerns surrounding the conditions of voyage that would lead to the passage of the Act. Previous regulations related to non-citizens Until this Act, the United States Congress had not limited voluntary migration, but there had been a few related areas where regulations had been imposed: • The Naturalization Act of 1790 established a uniform rule of naturalization (conversion of a non-U.S. citizen to U.S. citizenship) that included a two-year residency requirement for aliens who are "free white persons" of good moral character. This was increased to 14 years by the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, but then reduced to five years in 1802. • The Alien and Sedition Acts also permitted then President, Federalist John Adams, to deport foreigners deemed to be dangerous. • The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves banned the importation of new slaves into the United States. Passed in 1807, it went in effect on January 1, 1808. == Provisions ==

Regulations on the conditions of travel The first three sections of the Act regulated the conditions of travel, to prevent overcrowding and unsanitary conditions on ships: • Section 1: A limit of two passengers for every five tons of ship burden. • Section 2: The master of the vessel was required to pay a penalty of $150 for each passenger carried above the maximum capacity. • Section 3: For all ships departing the United States, at least 60 gallons of water, 100 pounds of bread, 100 pounds of salted provisions, and one gallon of vinegar for every passenger (at the time of departure). Requirement to submit a manifest of passengers Section 4 of the Act required ship captains or masters to report a list of all passengers taken on board abroad, including name, sex, age, and occupation. The report was also to include the number of passengers who had died on board the ship during the voyage. The presence of this section has led to the act sometimes being referred to as the Manifest of Immigrants Act. Section 5 of the Act mandated that each district collector who received manifests must, every quarter (i.e., every three months), deposit these manifests with the Secretary of State, who in turn was required to present a summary to the United States Congress at each session. == Subsequent events ==

Additional Acts augmenting the Steerage Act Additional Acts from 1819 to 1855, and a number of other amendments, modified the clauses of the Steerage Act. The additional regulations were designed and motivated by the goal of reducing the spread of infections and deaths on board, after experience with epidemics of cholera, typhus, and typhoid in recent years (such as the 1847 North American typhus epidemic). The Carriage of Passengers Act also contained provisions (Section 12 and 13) relating to a manifest of passengers, that corresponded to the provisions in Sections 4 and 5 of the Steerage Act. The provisions in the Carriage of Passengers Act had additional reporting requirements, such as the requirement that the manifest include "that part of the ship or vessel which the passenger had occupied during the voyage." == Similar Acts in other countries ==

The regulation of the conditions of sea transportation began in the 19th century, generally before meaningful restrictions on migration were imposed. In the United Kingdom, the first such law was the Passenger Vessels Act 1803. In addition to its stated purpose of reducing unsafe and uncomfortable journeys, the Act was suspected as a way to control emigration, by making it more expensive for people to leave for Canada, where rent was cheaper. The Act was repealed in 1826. A series of U.K. parliamentary investigations and passenger acts were undertaken in response to arduous, if not life-threatening, travel conditions on board transatlantic sailing ships during the mass migration following the late 1840s Great Famine of Ireland, though the U.K. rules were only lightly enforced, and ultimate improvements came more solidly and extensively from the introduction of much faster and more spacious iron-hulled steamships eventually offered by a half-dozen competing shipping lines operating between England and America. The first regulation of the conditions of transportation by sea in Canada was the Immigration Act of 1869. == References ==