Why were indians not given citizenship under the 14th when it was first enacted?
Shirely, they were under the jurisdiction of the U.S.? Right?
Because under the Constitution, and the Supreme Courts interpretation of the Constitution at the time, Indian tribes were classified as domestic dependent nations, and therefore, Indians were tribal citizenships, not American citizens. Their children were born in their "nations" and not in the U.S. so they were not granted citizenship. This somewhat ridiculous designation was upheld by several Supreme Court cases and was eventually done away with starting with the Dawes Act in 1887.
;)