Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by Dr. Anna O. Law to explore the tangled history of migration, citizenship, and federal power in early America. From colonial-era immigration policies to the Reconstruction Amendments, Dr. Law reveals how slavery, state competition, and the fight over who belongs shaped the nation’s immigration system—and why the federal government didn’t take control until surprisingly late.

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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Introductions
1:27 - The 16-Year Journey to Writing the Book
5:52 - From Migration to Citizenship: How the Book Evolved
7:57 - The Evolution of Citizenship in Early America
10:19 - State vs. Federal Citizenship: The Murky Legal Landscape
12:16 - Colonial-Era Migration: A Crazy Quilt of State Laws
17:19 - Migration vs. Immigration: An Important Distinction
19:14 - The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution
24:16 - State Police Powers and Migration Control
25:28 - The Alien and Sedition Acts: Slavery’s Hidden Influence
29:18 - Native Americans and Migration Recruitment
33:50 - The Chinese Exclusion Act
38:10 - The Federal Takeover of Immigration
44:16 - Freedom of Mobility and the Right to Remain
47:34 - Surprising Supreme Court Cases
53:04 - Sovereign Citizens and Historical Misinterpretation
54:18 - The 14th Amendment and Birthright Citizenship Today
58:22 - Wrapping Up

EPISODE LINKS:
Dr. Anna O. Law: https://www.brooklyn.edu/faculty-staff/anna-o-law/
Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/migration-and-the-origins-of-american-
citizenship-9780197660096
CUNY Brooklyn College – Political Science: https://www.brooklyn.edu/political-science/
Articles of Confederation: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederation
Privileges and Immunities Clause: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artIV-S2-C1-1/ALDE_00013777/
Naturalization Clause: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C4-1-1/ALDE_00013160/
Alien and Sedition Acts (1798): https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/alien-and-sedition-acts
Alien Enemies Act: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/alien-enemies-act-explained
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/chinese-exclusion-act
Puck Magazine – Anti-Chinese Political Cartoons: https://thomasnastcartoons.com/tag/statue-of-liberty/
13th Amendment: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/13th-amendment
14th Amendment – Birthright Citizenship: https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xiv
Reconstruction Amendments: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/intro.6-4/ALDE_00000388/
Mayor of New York v. Miln (1837): https://www.oyez.org/cases/1789-1850/36us102
The Passenger Cases (1849): https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/48/283/
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/dred-scott-v-sandford
Gerald Neuman – “The Lost Century of American Immigration Law”: https://fedsoc.org/commentary/fedsoc-blog/the-lost-century-of-american-immigration-law
Kevin Kenny – The Problem of Immigration in a Slaveholding Republic: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-problem-of-immigration-in-a-slaveholding-
republic-9780197580080
Gregory Ablavsky (Amicus Brief on Birthright Citizenship): https://law.stanford.edu/gregory-ablavsky/
Bethany Berger (Amicus Brief on Birthright Citizenship): https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2610859
Trump v. CASA (Birthright Citizenship Case): https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a884_8n59.pdf
Sovereign Citizens Movement: https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/sovereign-citizens-movement/

Who Gets to Be American? The Hidden History of U.S. Citizenship