Throughline – "Who Gets to Be an American Citizen?"

Host: NPR (Rund Abdelfatah, Ramtin Arablouei)
Episode Date: April 7, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Throughline, hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei take listeners on a historical journey to unpack the concept of American citizenship, focusing on the landmark case of Wong Kim Ark. The episode explores the origins and lasting impact of birthright citizenship, the dynamics of race and exclusion in U.S. history, and the enduring debates over who gets to be an American.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ever-Evolving Definition of American Identity

• Rund opens by contextualizing the episode in the ongoing national discussion about who is considered an American, highlighting a contemporary Supreme Court case about birthright citizenship (00:23).
• The episode parallels today’s debates with the historical roots of citizenship law, emphasizing that American identity has always been in flux.

2. The Story of Wong Kim Ark

• Wong Kim Ark, a San Francisco-born cook, returns from China only to be denied re-entry to the U.S. despite his birth certificate and U.S. birth (02:59–03:42).

• Historian Amanda Frost illustrates Wong’s shock at being barred from his homeland due to the Chinese Exclusion Act (03:08).

  “I think when he saw San Francisco Bay emerge out of what was likely the foggy morning... he must have been thrilled to think I'm finally back home.” – Amanda Frost, (03:08–03:23)

• Overview of Wong’s family background: Chinese immigrants, owners of a grocery in San Francisco’s Chinatown, caught up in anti-Chinese sentiment and violence (04:14–05:26).

3. Anti-Chinese Sentiment and Legal Exclusion

• Post–Civil War economic downturn leads to Chinese scapegoating. Anti-Chinese violence, such as the 1877 San Francisco Chinatown riots, forces many—including Wong’s family—to leave (05:26).
• Congress enacts several exclusionary laws:
  • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): bars Chinese laborers from immigration/naturalization
  • Page Act: bars Chinese women except certain categories
  • Geary Act: requires Chinese immigrants to carry ID papers (05:26–06:34)
• Frost underscores the contradiction that laws prevented assimilation while blaming Chinese immigrants for not assimilating (06:34).

4. Wong Kim Ark’s Test Case

• Wong, after returning to China to start a family, is used by the government as a test case to challenge birthright citizenship for children of Chinese immigrants (07:29).
• His case goes through district and appeals courts up to the Supreme Court, questioning the meaning of “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the 14th Amendment (07:49–08:28).

5. The Supreme Court’s Deliberations

• Background on the Court: Known for its racism, particularly under Chief Justice Melville Fuller, who presided over Plessy v. Ferguson (09:12–09:20).

  “The Fuller Court is known among constitutional scholars as one of the most racist iterations of the Supreme Court.” – Constitutional Scholar (09:20)

• The government argues Wong is not a citizen due to his parents’ loyalty to the Emperor of China, and that the 14th Amendment is unconstitutional (09:47–10:14).
• Counterargument: Wong’s lawyers ground their case in the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in English and American common law, arguing that the 14th Amendment codified this (11:14–11:46).

  “If you rule for the government... you will take away citizenship from hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people, including lots of white people.” – Historian/Expert (12:04)

6. The Ruling and Its Ripple Effects

• Supreme Court, in Justice Gray’s opinion, affirms that the Constitution’s language covers “all persons born in the United States,” regardless of parental nationality (12:45–13:42).

  “All persons born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States.” – Justice Gray (12:45–13:19)

• Notably, this does not extend to Native Americans, due to their unique legal status as members of sovereign nations (13:42).

• The decision is as much about practical implications (potentially disenfranchising millions of European-immigrant-descended children) as justice for Chinese immigrants (13:55):

  “We can't undo the citizenship of the children of immigrants in this country.” – Historian/Expert (13:55)

7. The Legacy of Wong Kim Ark

• Despite winning his case, Wong Kim Ark’s life remains challenging: he is arrested again in 1901 as a suspected Chinese immigrant and held until he proves his citizenship—demonstrating that legal rights did not always protect against discrimination (14:37).
• He eventually returns to China in his 60s, never to come back, leaving a complicated legacy (14:37–15:34).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Amanda Frost on San Francisco Bay:
  “He must have been thrilled to think I'm finally back home and I can get off this boat and go back to my home in San Francisco.” (03:13)

• On Wong as a test case:
  “Unbeknownst to Wang, while he was in China, the US Government had decided it wanted to bring a test case challenging birthright citizenship... So they chose him, and they didn't let him get off that boat.” – Historian/Expert (07:29)

• On the court’s racism:
  “The Fuller Court is known among constitutional scholars as one of the most racist iterations of the Supreme Court that has existed.” – Constitutional Scholar (09:20)

• On the 14th Amendment's breadth:
  “The fact, therefore, that acts of Congress or treaties have not permitted Chinese persons born out of this country to become citizens... cannot exclude Chinese persons born in this country from the operation of the broad and clear words of the Constitution.” – Justice Gray (12:45)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• 00:23 – Framing of the modern birthright citizenship debate
• 03:08 – Wong Kim Ark’s return and historical context
• 04:14 – Family roots in San Francisco
• 05:26 – Anti-Chinese riots and exclusionary laws
• 07:29 – Wong’s return, test case origins
• 08:11 – The 14th Amendment and legal arguments
• 09:20 – The Supreme Court’s hostile reputation
• 10:14 – Government challenges the 14th Amendment
• 11:29–11:46 – Lawyers’ defense of birthright citizenship
• 12:45 – Justice Gray reads the decision
• 13:55 – Supreme Court’s pragmatic reasoning
• 14:37 – Wong Kim Ark’s later life and continuing discrimination

Conclusion

This episode connects history and present by uncovering how the saga of Wong Kim Ark set the precedent for birthright citizenship in America—and why that legacy remains under debate today. Through the voices of historians, legal scholars, and with audio drama, Throughline provides urgent context for a question at the heart of American identity: Who gets to be an American?