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Naturalization Act of 1790
To apply for citizenship, a person must have been a resident for a minimum of two years. They must be free, white, and have a good moral character. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
This allowed the deportation of immigrants, suppressed free speech among immigrants, and raised the minimum residency requirement to 14 years. -
Naturalization Law of 1802
This law repealed the 14-year residency requirement and minimized it to five years. -
The 14th Amendment
Passed in 1868, this extended citizenship to those born in the United States. This included recently freed slaves. -
The Naturalization Act of 1870
Naturalization was only extended to those of African descent and was unavailable to other groups who were not white. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Signed in 1882, this law suspended immigration for Chinese laborers for ten years. -
Wong Kim Ark v. United States
Wong Kim's parents were not citizens of the United States, but he was born in the United States. Regardless, immigration tried to prevent him from re-entering the U.S. once he returned from visiting China. The court ruled in his favor, stating that he was protected under the 14th Amendment. -
Expatriation Act
The citizenship of women who married non-citizens was revoked, even if they ever travelled out of the country. -
Ozawa v. United States
A Supreme Court case in which it was ruled that Japanese immigrants were ineligible for American citizenship. -
United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind
This case ruled that immigrants from India were not considered white and were thusly barred from naturalization. They could also have their American citizenship revoked under this ruling. -
Indian Citizenship Act of 1924
Under the presidency of Calvin Coolidge, the Native Americans who fought alongside the United States Army in World War I were granted citizenship. -
The Repealing of the Chinese Exclusion Act
President Franklin Roosevelt signed a law repealing the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943. -
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
This law was passed to eliminate race discrimination in immigration in the United States.