14.1
Citizenship
History
• Dred Scott v. Sanford
– Supreme court case that ruled that no African
American could be a citizen of the United States.
– Before the Civil War
• fourteenth amendment
– extended citizenship to all people born in the U.S.
regardless of race
– Reversed the Dred Scott decision
Two Ways to be a Natural Born Citizen
• jus soli
– extending citizenship through "the law of the soil.”
– If you are born in the U.S. you are a citizen.
– (whether your parents are citizens or not)
• jus sanguinis
– extending citizenship through "the law of blood.”
– If your parents are citizens when you are born,
then you are a citizen
Aliens
• Alien
– anyone living in a country where they are not a citizen
• resident alien
– a non-citizen living in a country with permission and
for an unlimited amount of time
• non-resident alien
– a non-citizen living in a country with permission but
for a limited amount of time
Aliens
• undocumented alien
– a non-citizen who enters the U.S without legal
permission
• enemy alien
– a non-citizen whose country of citizenship is at war
with the U.S.
• refugee
– non-citizens who are generally granted amnesty when
fleeing troubling situations in their country
Changing from Alien to Citizen
• naturalization
– the process of immigrants becoming a U.S. citizen
Naturalization requirements
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You already have a green card
You are at least 18 years old.
You have lived in the U.S. lawfully as a permanent resident for at least five years
unless you are a spouse of a U.S. citizen, refugee, or received your green card
through political asylum.
During those five years, you have been physically present in the U.S. for at least
half of the time.
You have not spent more than one year at a time outside the U.S.
You have not established a primary home in another country.
You have lived in the state or district where you are filing your application for at
least three months.
You have "good moral character".
You can read, write and speak English.
You can pass a test about U.S. history and government.
You will swear that you believe in the principles of the U.S. Constitution and will be
loyal to the U.S.
• Expatriation
– "quitting" as a U.S. citizen.
– The process of denouncing citizenship for another
country
– Expatriate – someone who “quit”
U.S. Immigration History
• Chinese exclusion act
– first act of congress that limited immigration.
– It banned any Chinese from entering the country
for 10 years.
• quota system
– setting limits on how many imigrants can come
from certain countries