Naturalization Act of 1870 facts for kids
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| Long title | An Act to amend the Naturalization Laws and to punish Crimes against the same, and for other Purposes. |
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| Enacted by | the 41st United States Congress |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub.L. 41-254 |
| Statutes at Large | 16 Stat. 254-256 |
| Legislative history | |
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The Naturalization Act of 1870 (16 Stat. 254) was an important U.S. law passed in 1870. It helped set up rules for how people from other countries could become U.S. citizens. It also put in place punishments for anyone who tried to cheat the system. This law made it possible for people of African descent to become citizens, but it still kept out people of Chinese descent and some other groups.
Contents
What Was the Naturalization Act of 1870?
This law, passed by the United States Congress in 1870, was all about who could become a U.S. citizen. Before this act, only "free white persons" could go through the process of becoming a citizen.
Who Could Become a Citizen?
The Naturalization Act of 1870 changed some of these rules. It allowed "aliens of African nativity" (people born in Africa who were not U.S. citizens) and "persons of African descent" (people whose ancestors were from Africa) to become citizens. This was a big step after the American Civil War and the end of slavery.
However, the law still kept out other groups. For example, it specifically prevented people of Chinese descent from becoming naturalized citizens. This showed that even though some progress was made, not everyone had the same chance to become a U.S. citizen.
A Big Court Case: Wong Kim Ark
Even with the 1870 law, there was an important court case called United States v. Wong Kim Ark in 1898. This case was about a man named Wong Kim Ark, who was born in the United States to Chinese parents. His parents lived and worked in the U.S. and were not working for the Chinese government.
The Supreme Court decided that because Wong Kim Ark was born in the U.S., he was a U.S. citizen. This decision was based on the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It confirmed the idea of birthright citizenship, meaning that if you are born in the U.S., you are a citizen, no matter where your parents are from.
This ruling has been very important for people born in the U.S. ever since. The Supreme Court has not directly ruled on cases where children were born to parents who were not legal residents in the U.S., but the general idea of birthright citizenship remains.
How the Law Was Made
The Naturalization Act of 1870 started as a bill in the House of Representatives. It was introduced by Noah Davis, a Republican Representative from New York.
Later, Roscoe Conkling, a Republican Senator also from New York, helped support the bill in the Senate.
The bill was passed by the 41st United States Congress and then signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on July 14, 1870. This happened during a time in U.S. history called the Reconstruction Era, which was after the Civil War. While it was an important law, it is sometimes not as well-known as other major laws passed during that period.
