-
The first law to establish rules for citizenship. Mainly for "free white persons" (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
The Naturalization Act increased the residency period as a requirement for citizenship from 2 years to 5 years (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Allowed the president to deport or detain non-citizens who were deemed threats to the United States (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
The Naturalization Act increased the residency period as a requirement for citizenship from 5 years to 14 years (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
A slave rebellion that led to 345,000 deaths. This revolution led Congress to ban immigration of free African Americans to control anti-slavery activists (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Allowed forcible removal of Native Americans to obtain land (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
In the 1840's, judges expedited naturalizations for German and Irish immigrants in exchange for votes during local elections. In 1868, 20,000-30,000 Irish immigrants were naturalized 6 weeks before an election (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War. Conferred citizenship to Mexicans who chose to remain in the territory (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Supreme Court case ruled testimony of a Chinese man inadmissable, denying Chinese, Native American, and African Americans the status to testify in court against whites (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Use of passports were limited to United States citizens (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Supreme Court ruling established slaves and free African Americans as non-citizens of the United States, preventing them from citizenship (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
A law that provided access to up to 160 acres of free land to individuals if they lived on and made agricultural improvements to the land. This also forced Indigenous Americans to relocate to reservations to free up the land that was to be granted (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
The law legalized recruitment of labor to encourage immigration to the United States (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Congressional law that established birthright citizenship no matter race or color, except for Indigenous Americans (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
An International agreement which secured United States access to Chinese workers by granting free migration to Chinese and Americans (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Added birthright citizenship to the Constitution (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
The Naturalization Act, limited to white persons, now included "persons of African descent" (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Persons of Chinese descent were not eligible for naturalization.
-
An Immigration Ban that restricted Chinese immigration to the United States for 10 years (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Divided tribal lands into individual plots as a way to encourage farming and owning property. Stripped Native Americans of land and sold to non-indigenous people (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
The Immigration Bureau was created and responsible for processing legal immigrants and enforcing immigration restrictions (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Indigenous people who received land under the Dawes Severalty Act were extended citizenship eligibility (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
A federal court in South Carolina denied citizenship to a Syrian immigrant because of his "darker" skin (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Allowed Filipinos who served in the Armed Forces to naturalize (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Allowed WWI veterans of indigenous descent to become citizens (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Supreme court ruled people of Japenese descent could not become United States citizens (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Supreme Court ruled that Indian nationals could not become United States citizens (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Between 1923 and 1927, the United States government denaturalized 65 South Asians (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
A Federal law that limited the number of immigrants allowed in the United States (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Granted citizenship to Native Americans who were born in the United States, however, they were not granted full rights of citizens (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
Federal Court ruled that an Afghan immigrant could not naturalize because he was not "white or black" (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
During the 1930's, 500,000-1.8 million people of Mexican descent were removed from the United States. 60 percent were United States citizens (Timeline: Citizenship in the United States, 1781–Present, 2024).
-
China became the United States government's ally in the Pacific War which led to the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Congress allowed admission for refugees from Europe and permitted those seeking asylum to regularize their status (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Provided 214,000 visas to refugees (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
The Immigration Bureau deported one million Mexican nationals (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Revision of the Immigration Act which implemented H-1B visa program for skilled temporary workers (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Allowed certain Haitian nationals who had been residing in the U.S. to become legal permanent residents (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
After the attacks on September 11th, the United States government expanded budgeting, staffing, and powers of the immigration enforcement bureaucracy (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
A law that mandated operational control over United States international land and maritime borders; expansion of existing walls, fences, and surveillance (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).
-
Trump administration's executive order to prohibit travel and refugee settlement from select Muslim countries (The University of Texas at Austin Department of History, 2020).