19th Century Naturalization

Who is a rightful citizen of the United States, and what rights and liberties may citizens enjoy? In 1790, there was Naturalization Act in the United States that questioned who was able to receive the term “citizenship”. The Naturalization Act states that only free white people are eligible for citizenship. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." The mere fact of birth or naturalization in the United States did not transform into rights. However, even the liberties of Americans who had slowly gained the right to vote in the early nineteenth-century remained unclear. It is considered an essential right of a citizen
in the united states, to have the right to voice in the making of laws that could provide for even simple freedoms, such as the freedom to migrate or own property.
The path of citizenship for Native Americans, Latinos and Asian immigrants, the ability to rightfully reside in the United States, much less become citizens, would it ever stop being a obstacle for minorities.
The very first thing that showed minorities is different from white Europeans is when Asian immigrants joined the ranks of the American labor force in great numbers in the nineteenth century. There were many political movements to restrict immigration, which emerged in the 1840s with the mass migration to prevent the importation of Chinese laborers on the West Coast. Groups in California led campaigns that would go against immigrants. By gaining general support, they succeeded in pressing for legislation that banned the entry of Chinese immigrants. Racial prejudice, fear of job
loss and depressed wages, and railroad corporations grew powerful by exploiting the labor of Chinese workers stoked opposition to further entry of immigrants from China. But it is quite ironic as according to Takaki, “Most of the chinese engaged in agriculture were workers, however, they helped to transform farming in California from wheat to fruit. Experienced farmers in the Pearl River Delta before coming to America, the Chinese shared their agricultural knowledge with their white employers, teaching them how to plant, cultivate and harvest orchard and garden crops.”(Takaki) This employs that Asian Americans might have been of use to the White Europeans but time and time again it has been shown that no matter how much of a model minority they were and pitted against other minorities they still don’t match that of white genes. Takaki furthers tells us why white Europeans would go such lengths to stop immigrants “Behind the exclusion act were fears and forces that had little relationship to the Chinese. Something had gone wrong in America, and an age of economic opportunity seemed to be coming to an end” (Takaki)
Another thing that showed the difference and struggle was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1948 and its lasting negative effects on Mexican Americans. The Treaty was signed after America had won the Mexican American war. America gained possession of the southwest states that had been part of Mexico for the price of around eighteen million dollars. In Zinn’s book it states that the Mexicans "shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty and property, and secured in the free exercise of their religion without restriction"(Zinn). And as Zinn states in his book “was promised the Mexicans the right to keep their land which previously belonged to Mexico”.(Zinn) However, the Treaty would not grant the Mexicans the rights it offered. For the next hundred and twenty years, the Mexicans would be oppressed and discriminated against because of the Treaty. This clearly showing just how the white europeans thought of mexicans as non citizens that are not on the same level as them. They would have to survive in the developing white society. According to Zinn many would call “the Mexican people, whom they called "wretched people; wretched in their origin, history, and character," demonstrates another way white europeans differentiate themselves from mexicans and label them as if they were never citizens. But with every problem that tried to push them down, they were able to stick together to fight through it even if white europeans were trying to control them with their many laws and policies.
Equally as important is how powerful white europeans force affect on the Native Americans cultures and their identity in many ways.
For the original inhabitants of the land, entry to the United States also remained an unsettled issue. Native Americans generally were treated as members of foreign nations. According to Zinn white europeans thought "the progress of civilization and improvement, the triumph of industry and art, by which these regions have been reclaimed, and over which freedom, religion, and science are extending their sway." and that those thoughts of theres were “all the necessary grounds for burning villages and uprooting natives”(Zinn) Meaning these people who lived on america first were ran out of their homes and thrown away as non citizens. But later, Congress did grant citizenship to particular groups and individuals. The question of sovereignty of the land further confused matters. Decimated by warfare, disease, and malnutrition and consigned to diminished reservations, Native Americans became second-class citizens at best. In the face of such attacks and denial of citizenship, a debate began within the African American community over the appropriate response. Some counseled that blacks should patiently curry the good favor of whites by working hard and appearing
respectable.
In conclusion with citizenship and the right to participate in the political processes so contested, freedom remained circumscribed in the United States, in the half-century following the Civil War. Without true citizenship, limits prevailed for many groups of American on greater senses of freedom that would be articulated in the upcoming decades, such as freedom from fear and want. Every single minority after the naturalization act of 1790 was affected negatively, not only were they treated as second class citizens, but they weren’t even able to live like normal beings in united states.Even to this day minorities are being kicked out of the country simply out of fear and hatred that they would destroy the economy or another bombing. But these reasons to restrict minorities to become citizens but to easily let white europeans through the system is quite outrageous. Furthermore its quite unfair that everything in the united states is paved out for white europeans but for minorities not only do they have to fight one another to reach the top they will always be mistreated and be forced to think they are at fault. As the nation that keeps progressing and be the leaders of freedom it's quite ironic that we would have restrictions to keep others out of the country and still have discrimination laws that would hold us back to a become a better nation.