What role did African Americans play in the push for equal citizenship rights?
About this video
The speaker explains that African Americans, especially in port cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and Providence, argued long before the Civil War that being born in America made them citizens. The 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship reflected these arguments and rejected the Dred Scott decision. Because Congress chose not to limit it, the clause later protected Chinese Americans during the era of Chinese exclusion.
You'll be able to
- describe how African Americans argued for their own citizenship before the 14th Amendment.
- explain how birthright citizenship repudiated Dred Scott.
- explain how birthright citizenship later helped Chinese Americans.
Key words
- Birthright citizenship
- The rule that anyone born in the country is automatically a citizen.
- Repudiate
- To firmly reject something, such as an earlier court decision.
- Vindicate
- To show that someone was right all along.
- Chinese exclusion
- A period of laws and efforts in the late 1800s to keep Chinese immigrants out of the U.S. and deny them citizenship.
Transcript
African Americans themselves, really, from the jump, begin making the argument that they have national citizenship, and especially in the Port cities like Baltimore, and Philadelphia, and Boston and Providence, you have Black Americans, essentially sort of making the case for their own citizenship and making the case that by virtue of being born here, they are citizens and have all the privileges and immunities of citizenship.
These arguments show up, a group of Black lawyers, I believe, like, make arguments like this in the 1850s and 60s. The 14th Amendment is written in Congress but does reflect these arguments and these debates being had in the lead up to Judge Scott, and afterwards, and the 14th Amendment in establishing birthright citizenship vindicates Black Americans and repudiates Tony and says that "no, if you're born here, then you are a citizen".
Part of the concern during the debates over the 14th Amendment over these particular clauses, there was a question well, is this going to include everyone? There is a decision made not to limit it, not to put any limitations on the scope of birthright citizenship and so this becomes a great asset to those fighting for the rights of Chinese Americans, just a few decades later, who in the age of Chinese exclusion, there's an effort to keep Chinese Americans out of the country, to deny them citizenship but the 14th Amendment is clear, you're born here and you're a citizen. In addition to being this repudiation, Judge Scott, I think it is actually one of the singularly powerful things in the Constitution. Very few other countries do this,
it's almost a uniquely American thing and if you're born here, regardless of where your parents are from, regardless of your race or ethnicity or religion or anything, you're an American, just plain and simple and I think that is a truly remarkable aspect of our political system of our political culture. [MUSIC]
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