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CLSM · Civic Literacy · Progress Check 1
Birthright Citizenship
Read the situation. Connect the ideas. Show how you know.
Name ___________________________Class __________ Date __________
01 Recall, then make a connection.
birthright citizenship
jurisdiction
holding
Why must a summary of a birthright citizenship holding preserve both jurisdiction and the facts before the court? Explain the problem with turning one historical case into an unlimited claim.
Read the situation.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark was decided in 1898. The case concerned a man born in San Francisco to parents of Chinese descent who were domiciled in the United States and were not serving in a Chinese diplomatic or official capacity. After travel abroad, he was refused reentry on the claim that he was not a citizen. The Supreme Court held that he was a citizen by birth under the Fourteenth Amendment on the facts before it.
02 Organize the information.
Four dated pages
These dates concern the amendment and the case, not every development in citizenship law.
Put the pages in historical order.
1873: The case record places Wong Kim Ark’s birth in San Francisco.
1895: Officials refuse his reentry after a trip abroad, disputing his citizenship.
1898: The Supreme Court decides United States v. Wong Kim Ark.
1868: The Fourteenth Amendment is ratified.
Write the letters in order:
→→→
Explain why one step or event belongs where you put it.
CLSM · Civic Literacy · Progress Check 1
What does the evidence show?
Birthright Citizenship
03 Follow the evidence.
Which facts belong in the legal summary?
The historical case record describes Wong Kim Ark’s U.S. birthplace, his parents’ U.S. domicile, their non-diplomatic status, and his return after travel.
Select every fact that supports the birthright citizenship claim described in this case.
He was born in San Francisco.
His parents were domiciled in the United States and were not serving in a diplomatic or official capacity for China.
An immigration official asserted that Wong was not a citizen without disproving the supplied birth facts.
The 1882 law restricted naturalization for Chinese residents.
Name the useful records and explain how they answer the claim.
04 Apply the idea.
The last sentence matters
An exhibit wants to explain why the case matters while preserving the limits of this activity.
Which ending is most accurate?
The case is a major historical interpretation of the Citizenship Clause; readers studying a current dispute must examine its actual facts and current authoritative sources.
The case allows this game to determine any visitor’s legal status.
Because the case is old, it has no relevance to constitutional history.
Choose a conclusion and explain why it fits the situation.
05 Carry the idea forward.
Write a case note: identify the constitutional rule, two relevant facts, the 1898 holding, and one limit on your conclusion. Explain how a court’s interpretation differs from passing a new amendment.