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Naturalization Act of 1790
Provides the first rules to be followed by the United States in granting national citizenship to “free white people” -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Extends citizenship to all inhabitants living in the territory surrendered to the United States following the Mexican War -
Thirteenth Amendment
Abolishes slavery, although it did not grant formerly enslaved people the full rights of citizenship -
Fourteenth Amendment
Grants that all people born or naturalized in the United States are citizens and are guaranteed “equal protection of the laws” -
Naturalization Act of 1870
Extends naturalization rights to former African slaves not born in the United States; Asian immigrants remain excluded from citizenship -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
The first United States law to ban immigration based on race or nationality -
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
U.S. Supreme Court rules in United States v. Wong Kim Ark that any child born in the United States, regardless of race or parents’ citizenship status, is an American citizen -
Jones-Shafroth Act
Signed by President Woodrow Wilson, the Jones-Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship to residents of Puerto Rico -
Indian Citizenship Act
Extends U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans -
Alien Registration Act
Requires all non-citizen adults to register with the government and empowers the president to deport foreigners suspected of espionage or being a security risk -
Chinese Exclusion Act Repealed
Congress repealed all the exclusion acts -
Immigration and Nationality Act
Eliminates race as a bar to immigration or citizenship -
Immigration Reform and Control Act
Grants amnesty to millions of individuals living in the United States who entered the country before January 1, 1982 -
USA Patriot Act
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to broaden the scope of aliens ineligible for admission or deportation to include terrorist activities