Who Was an American?

Who Was an American? examines one of the most important unresolved questions in early American constitutional history: who counted as a citizen of the United States?

This short digital history traces the constitutional story from the Founding and the Naturalization Act of 1790 through free Black citizenship, Scott v. Sandford, Justice Benjamin R. Curtis’s dissent, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s transformation of national citizenship.

Written for readers interested in American history, Black history, Reconstruction, constitutional law, and citizenship, this concise edition presents the argument in an accessible standalone format.

Inside you will explore:

The Constitution’s original silence on national citizenship

The status of free Black citizens before Dred Scott

The Naturalization Act of 1790

The competing constitutional arguments of Taney and Curtis

The Fourteenth Amendment and birthright citizenship

Who Was an American? is Digital History Series No. 1, adapted from Dred Scott and the Second Founding by H. D. Robinson.

Format: PDF digital download

Length: 9 pages