Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America (Studies in Legal History)

Explains the origins of the Fourteenth Amendment's birthright citizenship provision, as a story of black Americans' pre-Civil War claims to belonging. Before The Civil War, Colonization Schemes And Black Laws Threatened To Deport Former Slaves Born In United States. Birthright Citizens Recovers The Story Of How African American Activists Remade National Belonging Through Battles In Legislatures, Conventions, And Courthouses. They Faced Formidable Opposition, Most Notoriously From The U.s. Supreme Court Decision In Dred Scott. Still, Martha S. Jones Explains, No Single Case Defined Their Status. Former Slaves Studied Law, Secured Allies, And Conducted Themselves Like Citizens, Establishing Their Status Through Local, Everyday Claims. All Along They Argued That Birth Guaranteed Their Rights. With Fresh Archival Sources And An Ambitious Reframing Of Constitutional Law-making Before The Civil War, Jones Shows How The Fourteenth Amendment Constitutionalized The Birthright Principle, And Black Americans' Aspirations Were Realized. Birthright Citizens Tells How African American Activists Radically Transformed The Terms Of Citizenship For All Americans--provided By The Publisher. Introduction : Rights Of Colored Men : Debating Citizenship In Antebellum America -- Being A Native, And Free Born : Race And Rights In Baltimore -- Threats Of Removal : Colonization, Emigration, And The Borders Of Belonging -- Aboard The Constitution : Black Sailors And Citizenship At Sea -- The City Courthouse : Everyday Scenes Of Race And Law -- Between The Constitution And The Discipline Of The Church : Making Congregants Citizens -- By Virtue Of Unjust Laws : Black Laws And The Reluctant Performance Of Rights -- To Sue And Be Sued : Courthouse Claims And The Contours Of Citizenship -- Confronting Dred Scott : Seeing Citizenship From Baltimore City -- Conclusion : Rehearsals For Reconstruction : New Citizens In A New Era -- Epilogue : Monuments To Men. Martha S. Jones. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 221-238) And Index. Before The Civil War, Colonization Schemes And Black Laws Threatened To Deport Former Slaves Born In United States. Birthright Citizens Recovers The Story Of How African American Activists Remade National Belonging Through Battles In Legislatures, Conventions, And Courthouses. They Faced Formidable Opposition, Most Notoriously From The U.s. Supreme Court Decision In Dred Scott. Still, Martha S. Jones Explains, No Single Case Defined Their Status. Former Slaves Studied Law, Secured Allies, And Conducted Themselves Like Citizens, Establishing Their Status Through Local, Everyday Claims. All Along They Argued That Birth Guaranteed Their Rights. With Fresh Archival Sources And An Ambitious Reframing Of Constitutional Law-making Before The Civil War, Jones Shows How The Fourteenth Amendment Constitutionalized The Birthright Principle, And Black Americans' Aspirations Were Realized. Birthright Citizens Tells How African American Activists Radically Transformed The Terms Of Citizenship For All Americans--provided By The Publisher. Introduction : Rights Of Colored Men: Debating Citizenship In Antebellum America -- Being A Native, And Free Born: Race And Rights In Baltimore -- Threats Of Removal: Colonization, Emigration, And The Borders Of Belonging -- Aboard The Constitution: Black Sailors And Citizenship At Sea -- The City Courthouse: Everyday Scenes Of Race And Law -- Between The Constitution And The Discipline Of The Church: Making Congregants Citizens -- By Virtue Of Unjust Laws: Black Laws As The Performance Of Rights -- To Sue And Be Sued: Courthouse Claims And The Contours Of Citizenship -- Confronting Dred Scott: Seeing Citizenship From Baltimore City -- Conclusion : Rehearsals For Reconstruction: New Citizens In A New Era -- Epilogue: Monuments To Men. Martha S. Jones. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 221-238) And Index. "Before the Civil War, colonization schemes and Black laws threatened to deport former slaves born in United States. Birthright Citizens recovers the story of how African American activists remade national belonging through battles in legislatures, conventions, and courthouses. They faced formidable opposition, most notoriously from the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott. Still, Martha S. Jones explains, no single case defined their status. Former slaves studied law, secured allies, and conducted themselves like citizens, establishing their status through local, everyday claims. All along they argued that birth guaranteed their rights. With fresh archival sources and an ambitious reframing of constitutional law-making before the Civil War, Jones shows how the Fourteenth Amendment constitutionalized the birthright principle, and Black Americans' aspirations were realized. Birthright Citizens tells how African American activists radically transformed the terms of citizenship forall Americans"--Description de l'éditeur "Birthright Citizens tells how African American activists transformed the terms of citizenship for all Americans. Before the Civil War, colonization schemes and raced-based laws threatened to deport former slaves born in United States. Birthright Citizens recovers the story of how African American activists remade national belonging through battles in legislatures, conventions, and courthouses. They faced formidable opposition, most notoriously from the US Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott. Still, Martha Jones explains, no single case defined their status. Former slaves studied law, secured allies, and conducted themselves like citizens, establishing their status through local, everyday claims. All along they argued that birth guaranteed their rights. With fresh archival sources and an ambitious reframing of constitutional lawmaking before the Civil War, Jones shows how, when the Fourteenth Amendment constitutionalized the bithright principle, black Americans' aspirations were realized."--Provided by publisher Birthright Citizens tells how African American activists radically transformed the terms of citizenship for all Americans. Before the Civil War, colonization schemes and black laws threatened to deport former slaves born in the United States. Birthright Citizens recovers the story of how African American activists remade national belonging through battles in legislatures, conventions, and courthouses. They faced formidable opposition, most notoriously from the US Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott. Still, Martha S. Jones explains, no single case defined their status. Former slaves studied law, secured allies, and conducted themselves like citizens, establishing their status through local, everyday claims. All along they argued that birth guaranteed their rights. With fresh archival sources and an ambitious reframing of constitutional law-making before the Civil War, Jones shows how as the Fourteenth Amendment constitutionalized the birthright principle, black Americans' aspirations were realized. Before the Civil War, colonization schemes and black laws threatened to deport former slaves born in the United States. Birthright Citizens recovers the story of how African American activists remade national belonging through battles in legislatures, conventions, and courthouses. They faced formidable opposition, most notoriously from the US Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott. Still, Martha S. Jones explains, no single case defined their status. Former slaves studied law, secured allies, and conducted themselves like citizens, establishing their status through local, everyday claims. All along they argued that birth guaranteed their rights. With fresh archival sources and an ambitious reframing of constitutional law-making before the Civil War, Jones shows how the Fourteenth Amendment constitutionalized the birthright principle, and black Americans' aspirations were realized. Birthright Citizens tells how African American activists radically transformed the terms of citizenship for all Americans 01.0_pp_i_i_Birthright_Citizens 02.0_pp_ii_ii_Studies_in_Legal_History 03.0_pp_iii_iii_Birthright_Citizens 04.0_pp_iv_iv_Copyright_page 05.0_pp_v_vi_Dedication 06.0_pp_vii_vii_Contents 07.0_pp_viii_viii_Illustrations 08.0_pp_ix_xii_Preface 09.0_pp_xiii_xviii_Acknowledgments 10.0_pp_xix_xx_Abbreviations 11.0_pp_1_15_Introduction 12.0_pp_16_34_Being_a_Native_and_Free_Born 13.0_pp_35_49_Threats_of_Removal 14.0_pp_50_58_Aboard_the_Constitution 15.0_pp_59_70_The_City_Courthouse 16.0_pp_71_88_Between_the_Constitution_and_the_Discipline_of_the_Church 17.0_pp_89_107_By_Virtue_of_Unjust_Laws 18.0_pp_108_127_To_Sue_and_Be_Sued 19.0_pp_128_145_Confronting_Dred_Scott 20.0_pp_146_154_Conclusion 21.0_pp_155_160_Epilogue 22.0_pp_161_220_Notes 23.0_pp_221_237_Bibliography 24.0_pp_238_248_Index