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White Men Citizens
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Northern Colonies Grant Citizen Rights Based on Property Ownership
Black men and women could be considered citizens if they owned property in the northern colonies. -
Slaves Not Considered Citizens Based on Racial Grounds
Dred Scott was not considered a citizen, even though he had been brought to a "free state" by his master. Chief Justice Taney believed the Constitution excluded people of color such as Scott based on racial grounds. -
Lincoln Wins Presidency; Free Blacks Considered American Citizens
When Abraham Lincoln won the presidency, the republican party considered free blacks to be American citizens. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Stated that all persons born or naturalized in the United States were citizens of the United States and the state in which they lived, thereby affirming a rule of citizenship by birth that did not depend on race. Women and american-born minors were also citizens, although could not vote. -
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Citizenship Clause of 14th Ammendment Still Effects Us Today
The Citizenship Clause was clearly understood to withhold birthright citizenship from the American-born children of foreign diplomats present in this country because under international law diplomats and their families were largely immune from the legal control and the courts of their host country. The clause also was understood not to grant birthright citizenship to various members of Indian tribes whose political relations with the United States limited its authority over the tribes’ members.