Race, Citizenship, and the 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 in the aftermath of the Civil War during the Reconstruction era. The amendment’s first clause, known as the “Citizenship Clause,” states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” In this event, a panel of scholars looked at issues of race and citizenship and how the 14th Amendment has applied to African Americans, Chinese immigrants and Native Americans. This discussion was part of a symposium hosted by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. close