Citizenship Exclusion and Women’s Status
How did the definition of citizenship in the new nation exclude Native Americans & African Americans? How were women viewed in society at the establishment of the new nation?
After the American Revolution, the definition of citizenship in the new United States was limited, primarily benefiting white men while excluding Native Americans and African Americans.
- Native Americans – The new government did not recognize Native American tribes as part of the U.S. political system.
- The U.S. Constitution (1787) excluded Indigenous peoples from citizenship.
- Treaties often stripped them of land, such as the Indian Removal policies that would follow in the 19th century.
- Native Americans were seen as separate nations, preventing them from gaining full legal rights.
- African Americans – Citizenship was largely denied to both free and enslaved African Americans.
- The Three-Fifths Compromise counted enslaved individuals as a fraction of a person for representation but gave them no rights.
- Free African Americans faced severe discrimination, with limited legal protections and exclusion from voting in most states.
- The Naturalization Act of 1790 restricted citizenship to “free white persons,” legally barring non-whites from naturalization…
After the American Revolution, the definition of citizenship in the new United States was limited, primarily benefiting white men while excluding Native Americans and African Americans.
- Native Americans – The new government did not recognize Native American tribes as part of the U.S. political system.
- The U.S. Constitution (1787) excluded Indigenous peoples from citizenship.
- Treaties often stripped them of land, such as the Indian Removal policies that would follow in the 19th century.
- Native Americans were seen as separate nations, preventing them from gaining full legal rights.
- African Americans – Citizenship was largely denied to both free and enslaved African Americans.
- The Three-Fifths Compromise counted enslaved individuals as a fraction of a person for representation but gave them no rights.
- Free African Americans faced severe discrimination, with limited legal protections and exclusion from voting in most states.
- The Naturalization Act of 1790 restricted citizenship to “free white persons,” legally barring non-whites from naturalization…
