Timelines

Migration is a natural part of living systems, and human history is no exception. Yet it remains one of the most debated public issues of our time.

Both people and borders move. Who is allowed to move, and who is granted rights, lies at the heart of how nations define belonging. In Germany and the United States alike, these debates have been deeply intertwined with evolving ideas of race and ethnicity.

These timelines trace how citizenship and belonging have been constructed, challenged, and redefined through laws, social movements, global events, and cultural works — and how those histories continue to shape the present.

1924

U.S. Citizenship Conferred on All Native Americans

In 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans. Previously, some Native Americans had gained citizenship through military service, the Dawes Severalty Act, or intermarriage. The act wasn't driven by Native advocacy, but was designed to promote assimilation and reduce Native sovereignty. A major motivating factor was the military service of many Native Americans during World War I. Although this secured federal citizenship, discriminatory laws and practices at the state level often impeded their new right to vote.

...the President of the United States be, and he hereby is, authorized, whenever in his opinion any reservation or any part thereof of such Indians is advantageous for agricultural and grazing purposes, to cause said reservation, or any part thereof, to be surveyed, or resurveyed if necessary...

Excerpt from the Dawes Act