Notes

The Naturalization Act of 1790 was enacted by the newly-formed United States Congress. This act put forth a law that only "free white persons" were allowed to become naturalized citizens of the United States (Pg. 143). Those who immigrated to the United States, unfortunately whether it was by their own choice or not, still had to be considered a "free white person" in order to become a United States citizen. Becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States was often limited to those whom were white, somewhat wealthy, had been in the United States for two years originally, and had ownership of property. This obviously limited many of those who could not become citizens due to this act, such as African American slaves, immigrants from other nations, and even white women (Pg. 144). This Naturalization Act of 1790 was the first act to limit and determine who could be considered a citizen of the United States, according to race and pigment of skin. This act is extremely significant when learning about this history of the United States, and is often swept under the rug or purposely forgotten due to the lack of teachings done about it, as well as the embarrassment of many current American citizens, and that this act was ever an actual thing. I too, am embarrassed by it and understand it's deeply rooted evil nature. The intent behind the Naturalization Act of 1790 is certainly up to interpretation, but many points are clear about why this legislation was put into action. The leaders whom enacted this piece of legislature are thought to have believed that this act would help create a national identity, while ironically I believe it did somewhat of the opposite. Creating this piece of legislature certainly outlawed many true natural American's rights, and subsequently resulted in many immigrants and enslaved individuals harboring resentment towards the United States and it's government as a whole due to this act. The unfortunate intent behind why this act was created, comes from many powerful individuals in our government at the time, including the great Benjamin Franklin, believing that if too many immigrants were allowed to become citizens, they would negatively impact the United States as a whole, and "bring the country down" (Fear of Immigrants Article Pg. 2). The United States was looking to establish it's own cultural identity, and wanted to be sure that those who would immigrate to the United States, would not try to tear the newly founded country down. Despite this making some sense, I do not believe that this legislation's intent was completely rooted in only ensuring the success of the nation, but certainly to limit the opportunity for other cultures and immigrants to succeed. The intention behind this act certainly involved what they believed at that time to be the best choice for a beginning nation, but unfortunately had negative thoughts, racial ideologies, and major horribly destructive impacts on enslaved African American's and those who immigrated to the United States. I would like to believe that this act was created with good intentions, but I can now see that it was absolutely not, at all. 

Fortunately, this act would eventually be ratified upon the Constitution, in July of 1868, during the reconstruction of the United States Constitution. The Naturalization Act of 1790 would essentially be abolished in nature, by the reconstruction of how one would obtain citizenship in the United States. In July of 1868, any and all who were born in the United States were to become naturalized citizens, as well as those who were previously enslaved. The abolition of slavery certainly played a roll in the reconstruction of this act, although it unfortunately took far too long for the United States to ratify, in my opinion. The legacy of this act, as I previously discussed, is quite embarrassing, and I believe that it leaves behind a sour taste in many American citizen's mouths. Similar to how immigrants were viewed during the 1700's, as discussed in "The Fear of Immigration is as Old as America Itself", many of those who were in power during the creation of the United States governments and its laws and political systems, even Benjamin Franklin, had skewed mindsets about how our great nation, would be negatively impacted by the amount of immigrants coming to our country and how beneficial all of the immigration that has gone on has been to our country. This is an old and rotten mindset that has unfortunately been rooted in many of America's most popular leaders thoughts and actions. Benjamin Franklin being one of those most well known and accomplished individuals in American History does not bar him from having a poor opinion and racist mindset. Understanding that this was certainly more common prior to the 21st century, also does not mean that it has stopped entirely. Racism and negative beliefs about other cultures is unfortunately still rampant in our nation, and certainly helps me understand how these mindsets and views get passed on from generation to generation, unfortunately. The aptly named article reigns true, that Fear of Immigrants is absolutely older than American itself.