Amanda Frost discusses her book, “You Are Not American: Citizenship Stripping from Dred Scott to the Dreamers.” Beginning with Reconstruction, American citizenship began a contested and trouble road toward full protection of “birthright citizenship.” What it meant to be a citizen varied for immigrant groups depending on racism, economics, and political will. Whether it was the awful treatment of Chinese Americans or the mass deportations of Mexicans during the 1930s, immigrants of color suffered the harshest bureaucratic harassment. Though white women were not exempt, often having their citizenship stripped simply through marriage. Today, we still struggle with the conversation around immigration and what and who constitutes a “real” American.
Amanda Frost is the Ann Loeb Bronfman Distinguished Professor of Law and Government at American University in Washington, D.C.
