United States v. Wong Kim Ark

United States v. Wong Kim Ark
Name	United States v. Wong Kim Ark
Court	Supreme Court of the United States
Date	March 28, 1898
Citation	169 U.S. 649

Contents

United States v. Wong Kim Ark was a landmark Supreme Court of the United States case that dealt with the issue of birthright citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The case involved Wong Kim Ark, a Chinese American who was born in San Francisco, California to Chinese parents, and was denied United States citizenship upon his return from a trip to China. The case was argued by George D. Collins and Maxwell Evarts, and was decided on March 28, 1898, with the court ruling in favor of Wong Kim Ark, establishing that birthright citizenship was a fundamental right under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This decision has had significant implications for immigration law and naturalization in the United States, and has been cited in numerous cases, including Afroyim v. Rusk and Rogers v. Bellei.

Background

The case of Wong Kim Ark was rooted in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which prohibited Chinese immigration to the United States. However, Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco, California, and his parents were Chinese immigrants who had settled in the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was challenged in court by Chinese American organizations, including the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, and was also addressed by the Supreme Court of the United States in cases such as Chae Chan Ping v. United States and Fong Yue Ting v. United States. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified in 1868, established the principle of birthright citizenship, which states that all persons born in the United States are United States citizens. This amendment was a key factor in the Wong Kim Ark case, as it was used to argue that Wong Kim Ark was a United States citizen by birth.

The case of Wong Kim Ark began when he was denied United States citizenship upon his return from a trip to China. Wong Kim Ark had been born in San Francisco, California, but the United States government argued that he was not a United States citizen because his parents were Chinese immigrants who were not naturalized United States citizens. The case was argued by George D. Collins and Maxwell Evarts, who cited cases such as Minor v. Happersett and United States v. Cruikshank to support their argument that Wong Kim Ark was a United States citizen by birth. The case was also influenced by the Treaty of Wanghia, a treaty between the United States and China that established the principle of extraterritoriality and the rights of Chinese immigrants in the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Bar Association, have cited the Wong Kim Ark case in their arguments for immigration reform and civil rights.

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of Wong Kim Ark on March 28, 1898, establishing that birthright citizenship was a fundamental right under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The court, led by Chief Justice Melville Fuller, held that the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution applied to all persons born in the United States, regardless of their parents' immigration status. The decision was influenced by cases such as Dred Scott v. Sandford and Strauder v. West Virginia, which established the principle of equal protection under the law. The Wong Kim Ark decision has been cited in numerous cases, including Afroyim v. Rusk and Rogers v. Bellei, and has had significant implications for immigration law and naturalization in the United States. The decision was also praised by Theodore Roosevelt, who was a strong supporter of immigration reform and civil rights, and was influenced by the Progressive Era and the Social Gospel movement.

The decision in Wong Kim Ark has had a lasting impact on immigration law and naturalization in the United States. The case established the principle of birthright citizenship, which has been used to argue for the rights of undocumented immigrants and their children. The case has also been cited in numerous other cases, including Plyler v. Doe and Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, and has influenced the development of immigration policy in the United States. The Wong Kim Ark decision has been praised by organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigration Law Center, which have argued that it is a fundamental right under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The decision has also been influential in other countries, including Canada and Australia, which have adopted similar principles of birthright citizenship. The Wong Kim Ark case has been studied by scholars such as Aristide Zolberg and Peter Schuck, who have written extensively on immigration law and naturalization.

The Wong Kim Ark case was decided during a time of significant change and upheaval in the United States. The late 19th century saw a large influx of immigrants from Europe and Asia, which led to the passage of laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration Act of 1891. The Wong Kim Ark case was also influenced by the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, which saw the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The case was also influenced by the Progressive Era and the Social Gospel movement, which emphasized the importance of social justice and human rights. The Wong Kim Ark case has been studied by historians such as Erika Lee and Mae Ngai, who have written extensively on the history of immigration and naturalization in the United States. The case has also been influenced by the Treaty of Paris and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which established the borders of the United States and the rights of immigrants in the country.