Lauren Berlant Citizenship Summary

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This week I enjoyed reading Lauren Berlant’s reading, “Citizenship” and one section that stood out to me what on the U.S. Naturalization Act of 1790. This section of her article made me think about/understand through different ways the role that immigrants have had in the U.S. For instance, Berlant points out that the U.S. Naturalization Act of 1790 essentially excluded some groups of immigrants from become citizens because the requirements were freedom and whiteness. Therefore, African slaves did not have the chance of becoming citizens because they could not sell their own labor and they were not white. In addition, other immigrants who could sell their labor, but if they were not white, they could not have full rights of citizenship (e.g.

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