African American Naturalization

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Nearly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in Southern states still inhabited a starkly unequal world of disenfranchisement, segregation and various forms of oppression, including race-inspired violence (History.com staff, 2009). Civil rights for Black Americans have had special historical significance. The Naturalization Act of 1790 limited naturalization and citizenship to “free white persons.” The original United States Naturalization Law of March 26, 1790 (1 Stat. 103) provided the first rules to be followed by the United States in the granting of national citizenship. This law limited naturalization to immigrants who were free white persons of good character. It thus excluded American Indians, indentured servants, …show more content…
These individuals began what is known as the Civil Rights Movement, which included a series of nonviolent protests and acts of civil disobedience across America. Jim Crow laws at the local and state levels barred African Americans from many public areas. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the separate but equal doctrine that formed the basis for state sanctioned discrimination. In the following years, civil rights activist used nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to bring about change. According to the Civil Rights Movement and New website, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first piece of legislation passed in America that protected the voting rights of minority groups especially African Americans. This statute mandated the documenting of voter registration which allowed the government to determine which groups were being discriminated against. Other laws were later implemented to support the 1957 civil rights act, for example the bill drafted in 1960 which allowed a judge to prosecute cases involving voting discrimination (Civil Rights Movement Website, 2013). During this time there was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights of 1965. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. The act eliminated poll taxes. Leaders such as Marin Luther Jr., Malcom X, Andrew Goodman, and others led the African Community to stand together in seeking freedom and equality. The Fair Housing Act signed into law in 1968, prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based
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