Steerage Act of 1819

The Steerage Act of 1819, also called the Manifest of Immigrants Act, was an Act passed by the United States federal government on March 2, 1819, effective January 1, 1820. It was the first law in the United States regulating the conditions of transportation used by people arriving and departing by sea.^[1][2][3][4] In addition to regulating conditions in ships, the act also required ship captains to deliver and report a list of passengers with their demographic information to the district collector.^[2][3] The Act, that was amended six times, was finally superseded by the Carriage of Passengers Act of 1855.^[2] At the time of passage of the Act, the United States had no laws restricting immigration. In fact, the first federal legislation regulating immigration, the Page Act of 1875, was over 50 years in the future.

Historical context

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.^[3]

Previous regulations related to non-citizens

Until this Act, the United States Congress had placed no limitations regulating voluntary migration. There had been a few related areas where regulations had been imposed:^[5][6]

• 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 and then reduced to five years in 1802.
• The Aien and Sedition Acts also permitted the 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 regulated the conditions of travel, to prevent overcrowding and unsanitary conditions on ships:^[1]

• 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.^[2] The report was to be delivered to the collector of the district in which the ship landed.^[1][4][7]

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.^[1][3]

Subsequent changes

The Steerage Act of 1819 was amended six times with minor changes to the regulations on the conditions of travel, until it was finally superseded by the Carriage of Passengers Act of 1855.^[2][3] The Carriage of Passengers Act replaced Section 4 of the Act with a somewhat modified requirement that additionally required the manifest to include "that part of the ship or vessel which the passenger had occupied during the voyage."^[3]

Section 4 of the Steerage Act led to the first set of federal records on the composition of the flow of migrants to the United States.^[7] It would be significant in the future both for governments trying to understand and regulate migration levels and for individuals attempting to learn more about their ancestors' arrival in the United States.^[7][8]

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.^[9]

The first regulation of the conditions of transportation by sea in Canada was the Immigration Act of 1869.^[10]

References