Birthright Citizens cover art

Birthright Citizens

A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America

Preview

Free with 30-day trial
Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Birthright Citizens

Written by: Martha S. Jones
Narrated by: Janina Edwards
Free with 30-day trial

₹199 per month after trial ends. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹586.00

Buy Now for ₹586.00

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Birthright Citizens tells how African-American activists radically transformed the terms of citizenship for all Americans.

Before the Civil War, colonization schemes and black laws threatened to deport former slaves born in the United States. Birthright Citizens recovers the story of how African American activists remade national belonging through battles in legislatures, conventions, and courthouses. They faced formidable opposition, most notoriously from the US Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott. Still, Martha S. Jones explains, no single case defined their status. Former slaves studied law, secured allies, and conducted themselves like citizens, establishing their status through local, everyday claims. All along they argued that birth guaranteed their rights.

With fresh archival sources and an ambitious reframing of constitutional law-making before the Civil War, Jones explains how when the Fourteenth Amendment constitutionalized the birthright principle, the aspirations of Black Americans were realized.

©2018 Martha S. Jones (P)2021 Tantor
Black & African American Civics & Citizenship History Racism & Discrimination American Law

What listeners say about Birthright Citizens

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.