Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Non-Sequitur
I'm not familiar with those. Can you point out a website that has more about them?

I'm not aware of a particular website that lists each act, but INS lists the titles of the naturalization acts themselves @ http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/statistics/legishist/index.htm

The Act of March 26, 1790 (1 Stat 103-104), (An Act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization), stated that

"any alien, being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof ..."

Followed by the Act of January 29, 1795 (1 Stat 414), which continued the practice,  

"[A]ny alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States..."

Then continued with the Naturalization Act of 1798 (1 Stat 570) , the Act of April 14, 1802 (2 Stat 153), the Act of May 26, 1824 (4 Stat 36).   Even the Militia Act of 1792 limited service to "every free, able-bodied, white male citizen."

It wasn't until the Naturalization Act of July 14, 1870 (16 Stat 254) that officially legalized US citizenship for blacks.

Unless you have some information to the contrary? [that the South wouldn't want free blacks in areas where they wanted to expand slavery]

Do you have documentation where the South specifically requested that free blacks be excluded from the territories? The North also had free blacks, yet the Free Soil policy was one that advocated the territories being free of ALL blacks, not just slaves.

472 posted on 01/29/2003 8:02:22 AM PST by 4CJ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 464 | View Replies ]


To: 4ConservativeJustices
I apologize, I misunderstood what you were saying. I thought that you were talking about citizenship for native-born blacks and not immigrants. Laws like that unfortunately don't surprise me since the U.S. was enacting laws like that towards blacks and Asians well in to the 20th century. But prior to the Civil War states like North Carolina were saying that even native-born blacks were not really citizens and, of course, there was the Scott v. Sandford decision so I assumed you were talking about things like that.

Do you have documentation where the South specifically requested that free blacks be excluded from the territories?

You yourself said many people were for free blacks being excluded from the territories, Jefferson Davis was for free blacks being excluded from the U.S. altogether, it's not unlikely that many down south might support that part of the Free Soil proposals, especially since the Free Soilers drew so heavily from the Democrats.

494 posted on 01/29/2003 11:42:20 AM PST by Non-Sequitur
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 472 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson