Topix Underground

What’s that?

"The Naturalization Act of 1790 was the first U.S. law establishing uniform rules for citizenship, limiting it to "free white persons" of good character who resided in the country for two years, requiring an oath to the Constitution, and granting citizenship to children born abroad to U.S. citizens, effectively excluding Black people (enslaved or free) and Native Americans from naturalization. This landmark legislation racialized access to citizenship, creating a federal standard that reinforced racial hierarchies and set limits on who could become a citizen."