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First Naturalization Act passed in the U.S.

1790

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The act provides that any free, white, adult "alien"–male or female–who has resided within the limits and jurisdiction of the United States for a period of 2 years is eligible for citizenship.

African-Americans will not be guaranteed citizenship until 1868, when the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified during Reconstruction. Natives will become citizens through individual treaties or intermarriage, and, finally, through the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act. Asian immigrants will be ineligible for citizenship until the 1954 McCarran-Walter Act removes all racial barriers to naturalization.

Without citizenship, Black people and People of Color are not legally allowed to vote, own property, bring suit, or testify in court, which are all the basic protections and privileges that white people take for granted.