Naturalization Act of 1798
The
Naturalization Act, passed by
Congress on
June 18,
1798, increased the amount of time necessary for immigrants to become
naturalized citizens in the
United States from five to fourteen years.
Although it was passed under the guise of protecting national security, most historians conclude it was really intended to decrease the number of voters who disagreed with the
Federalist political party. At the time, most immigrants (namely
Irish and
French) supported the
Democratic-Republicans, the political opponents of the Federalists.
This act was repealed in 1802.
A number of changes were made to the previous naturalization law:
The "NOTICE TIME" refers to how long immigrants had to wait after declaring their intent to become a citizen. The "RESIDENCE PERIOD" refers to how long they had to live in the
United States before they could become a citizen.
The Naturalization Act is considered one of the
Alien and Sedition Acts passed contemporaneously in 1798.
Like the Naturalization Act of 1790, 1795, this act also restricted citizenship to "free white persons".
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This Month in Immigration History: March 1790*
Statutes at Large, 5th Congress, 2nd Session: Naturalization Act
