Description
Book SynopsisExplores the history and legacy of Wong Kim Ark and the 1898 Supreme Court case that bears his name, which established the automatic citizenship of individuals born within the geographic boundaries of the United States.
Trade Review"We have long needed a biography of Wong Kim Ark, and American by Birth delivers. It’s the history of American citizenship, the tireless efforts of one man and his lawyers to challenge cruel and racist policies, and Wong Kim Ark’s continuing legacy today. Nackenoff and Novkov’s timely book is a must-read!"—Erika Lee, author of America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States, and director of the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota
"American by Birth tells the compelling story of Wong Kim Ark—a Chinese American who was forced to defend his claim to US citizenship—and the landmark Supreme Court case that bears his name. Centering their study around his hard-won battle, Carol Nackenoff and Julie Novkov deftly trace the multiple origins of birthright citizenship and its sprawling consequences for American society."—Beth Lew-Williams, associate professor of history, Princeton University, and author of The Chinese Must Go: Violence, Exclusion, and the Making of the Alien in America
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
Introduction
- 1. The Foundations of American Citizenship
- 2. Chinese Immigration and the Legal Shift toward Exclusion
- 3. The Legal Battle over Exclusion
- 4. Who Was Wong Kim Ark?
- 5. Wong Kim Ark v. United States
- 6. Citizenship and Immigration: The Next Battles
- 7. Revisiting Jus Soli: Contemporary Developments (coauthored with Mari Vike)
- Chronology
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
