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1790 Naturalization Act
The right to become an American citizen was for "Free white persons," excluding all other races or ethnicities. Any free white person who lived in the United States for two years was a citizen, later changed to five years, then briefly to fourteen years. -
Black Laws
Many laws were passed in several states to prevent the migration of free black people. -
Indian Removal Act
The United States forcibly removed many Indigenous tribes from their settlement in the Southeast, to "Indian territory" -
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Naturalization of German and Irish Immigrants
The courts in New York City naturalized 20,000-30,000 Irish Immigrants -
Mexican American Citizenship
Through the Mexican-American war, the United States gained 55% of Mexico for $15million dollars. About 100 million Mexicans became United States citizens. -
Dred Scott v. Stanford
Black men could not be US citizens. They had "no rights which the white man was bound to respect."(Lincoln, n.d.) -
Legal arguments that free slaves could be U.S. citizens.
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Emancipation Proclomation
An executive order from President Abraham Lincoln freeing all slaves. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1866
The fourteenth amendments citizenship clause was put in place to give citizenship rights to all people born on U.S. soil. "Republican Congress enshrined the principle of birthright citizenship"(Lincoln, n.d.) -
1870 Naturalization Act
The ability to naturalize was limited to white people and "African descendants." -
Chinese People denied Citizenship
Federal court rules that Mongolians were not white people -
Chinese Immigration Restricted
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Elk v. Wilkins
Supreme court ruled that Indigenous people could not be entitled to the fourteenth amendments birthright citizenship. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Supreme court ruled that while the fourteenth amendment will be honored, but will go on with segregations. "Separate but equal"