"Native" Americans Became U.S. Citizens in 1924

[My Name Is Kate]

"Native" (in quotes because they originally came to America from elsewhere) Americans were not officially U.S. citizens until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 (I didn't know that). There was an attempt made in 1884 in the Elk vs. Wilkins case to make them citizens, but the Supreme Court ruled that Native Americans owed allegiance to their tribe when they were born, not to the U.S., and therefore were not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States when they were born.

The 14th Amendment granted U.S. citizenship to all former slaves and their descendants because they were in the United States legally (although their ancestors were brought here against their will) and their allegiance was to the U.S., not to some foreign country or government. Since the 1960s, the 14th Amendment has been used to grant citizenship to anyone who is born in the United States, whether their parents are here legally or illegally, which clearly was not the intention of the 14th Amendment.