Final answer:
The 1965 Immigration Act replaced national quotas with a system that prioritized family ties and skills, diversifying American immigration by increasing immigrants from Asia and Latin America.
Step-by-step explanation:
As a result of the 1965 Immigration Act, national quotas were abolished and replaced by a system that granted priority to immigrants with family ties in the United States and those with sought-after skills. The Act aimed to move away from the heavily discriminatory practices favoring Western and Northern Europe that had been solidified with the National Origins Act of 1924, and earlier legislation that imposed strict numerical limits based on nationality.
Instead of the previous systems that had severely restricted immigration from Asia and had been designed to preserve a certain demographic makeup in the US, the new legislation in 1965 opened doors for immigrants from various regions of the world including war-torn Southeast Asia and later from Latin American nations, transforming the American immigration landscape.