Evolution of the National Citizenry

By katiebushong

  • Naturalization Act of 1790

    Law of the United States Congress that set the first uniform rules for the granting of United States citizenship by naturalization. This act granted national citizenship to "free white people." Only white, male property owners could naturalize and acquire the status of citizens if they resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years.

  • Naturalization Act of 1795

    The main change made by the 1795 Act from the 1790 Act was the increased required residence in the United States from two to five years.

  • Naturalization of 1798

    The Act required immigrants to reside in the United States for 14 years before becoming eligible for citizenship.

  • Naturalization Law of 1802

    The "free white persons" requirement remained in place. The previous 14-year residency requirement was reduced back down to 5 years.

  • Thirteenth Amendment

    The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery but does not grant formerly enslaved persons the full rights of citizenship.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1866

    The Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens, "without distinction of race or color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude." This law defined citizenship and affirmed that all citizens are equally protected by the law.

  • Fourteenth Amendment

    The Fourteenth Amendment grants that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens and are guaranteed "equal protection of the laws."

  • Naturalization Act of 1870

    The Naturalization Act of 1870 extended naturalization rights to former African slaves not born in the United States with the exclusion of Chinese Americans and other groups.

  • Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

    The first United States law to ban immigration based on race or nationality. This law prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers.

  • United States v. Wong Kim Ark

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruling stated that any child born in the United States, regardless of race or parents' citizenship status, is an American citizen.

  • Naturalization Act of 1906

    The Naturalization Act of 1906 requires immigrants to learn English in order to become naturalized citizens.

  • Jones-Shafroth Act

    The Jones-Shafroth Act grants United States citizenship to residents of Puerto Rico.

  • Emergency Quota Act

    This law limited the annual number of immigrants based on country of origin.

  • Cable Act of 1922

    Otherwise known as the "Married Women's Independent Nationality Act," was designed to grant women their own national identity.

  • Indian Citizenship Act

    The Indian Citizenship Act grants United States citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S.

  • Nationality Act of 1940

    The Nationality Act of 1940 outlined the process in which immigrants could acquire United States citizenship. The law outlined specifications concerning race and ethnicity.

  • Alien Registration Act

    The Alien Registration Act required all non-citizen adult residents to register with the federal government.

  • Magnuson Act

    This law allowed Chinese immigration for the first time since the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and permitted some Chinese immigrants already residing in the country to become naturalized citizens.

  • Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952

    The Immigration and Nationality Act removes race as a bar to immigration or citizenship.

  • Hart-Celler Act

    The law abolished the National Origins Formula, which had been the basis of the U.S. immigration policy, replacing it with a preference system that focuses on immigrants' skills and family relationships with citizens.

  • Immigration Reform and Control Act

    This law makes it illegal to hire illegal immigrants and grants amnesty to individuals living in the United States who entered the country before January 1, 1982.

  • Immigration Act of 1990

    This law changed the level and preference system for admission of immigrants to the United States.

  • Legal Immigration Family Equality Act

    This law made some changes to the laws surrounding immigration for family members of United States citizens as well as people eligible for employment-based visas.

  • USA Patriot Act

    This law was created in order to deter and punish terrorist attacks in the United States.