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“The Golden Door” (Beginnings-1938)

After decades of maintaining open borders, a xenophobic backlash prompts Congress to pass its first laws restricting immigration. Meanwhile, in Germany, Hitler and the Nazis begin their persecution of Jewish people, causing many to try to flee to neighboring countries or America. Franklin Roosevelt and other world leaders are concerned by the growing refugee crisis but fail to coordinate a response.

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“The Homeless, Tempest-Tossed” (1942 - )

As the Allies liberate German camps, the public sees the sheer scale of the Holocaust.

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“Yearning to Breathe Free” (1938-1942)

As war begins, some Americans work tirelessly to help refugees; others remain indifferent.

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