1953–1965 -- The first period in American history in which Europeans do not dominate voluntary immigration: 48 percent of newcomers are from Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, with the largest number from Mexico. Some 7 percent come from Asia and only 43 percent from Europe. In 1965, the landmark Immigration and Nationality Act abolishes the national-origin immigration quotas and opens the way for a tremendous surge in immigration in the last third of the 20th century. (© AP Images)