This 1898 Supreme Court case confirmed that being born in America makes you American, period

Wong Kim Ark and the 14th Amendment

In 1895, a young man named Wong Kim Ark stood on a steamship in San Francisco Bay, barred from entering his own country. Born in California to Chinese parents, he faced a government that claimed he wasn’t really American.

His fight changed citizenship law forever. Here’s how his case shaped the Constitution, and you can explore this history at the Chinese American Museum in San Francisco today.

Wong’s Parents Built Business Above Sacramento Street

Wong Kim Ark was born in 1873 at 751 Sacramento Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown, above his family’s grocery store. His parents Wong Si Ping and Lee Wee had emigrated from Taishan, China and spent twenty years building their American life.

They ran their business and became part of the community, but federal law barred them from citizenship under the 1802 Naturalization Law. Their son, however, was born on American soil.

Congress Banned All Chinese Workers in 1882

President Chester Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act on May 6, 1882, creating America’s first immigration ban based on race.

The law stopped Chinese workers from entering for ten years and prohibited courts from granting citizenship to Chinese residents. Anyone Chinese traveling needed special certificates. This set the stage for what would happen to Wong thirteen years later.

Wong’s Parents Returned to China Alone

Wong’s parents left for China in 1890 after two decades in America, returning to their ancestral village in Taishan.

Seventeen-year-old Wong stayed behind, finding work as a cook in Chinatown restaurants. The exclusion era was breaking apart Chinese families as older generations returned home while their American-born children remained.

Marriage Meant Living Across an Ocean

Wong traveled to China around 1889 to visit his parents and married Yee Shee from a nearby village. When he returned to San Francisco in July 1890, customs collector Timothy Phelps admitted him as a native-born citizen.

But Yee Shee gave birth to their first son in China because the Exclusion Act prevented Wong from bringing his wife to America.

Second Trip Raised Official Suspicions

Wong sailed back to China in November 1894 to meet his eldest son and spend time with his growing family.

During his absence, Yee Shee conceived their second child. Though Wong filed proper departure papers, immigration officials had already noted doubts about his citizenship claim in his file. Anti-Chinese sentiment was intensifying among federal authorities.

Customs Collector Blocked Wong’s Return

When Wong returned on the steamship Coptic in August 1895, customs collector John H. Wise refused him entry. Wise, known for his anti-Chinese views, argued that Wong couldn’t be a citizen because his parents were never naturalized.

Using the Chinese Exclusion Act as justification, Wise detained Wong on ships in San Francisco Bay for five months while the legal battle began.

Chinese Community Mounted Legal Challenge

The Chinese Six Companies hired attorney Thomas Riordan and filed a habeas corpus petition on October 2, 1895. Wong’s lawyers argued he was being illegally detained as a native-born citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment.

The government countered that Wong wasn’t subject to American jurisdiction because his parents remained Chinese subjects, forcing courts to interpret the Constitution’s citizenship clause.

District Judge Ruled for Birthright Citizenship

Judge William Morrow sided with Wong on January 3, 1896, ruling that birth on American soil granted citizenship regardless of parents’ nationality.

Morrow ordered Wong’s release on $250 bail, but the government immediately appealed to the Supreme Court, escalating the case to the nation’s highest tribunal.

Supreme Court Heard Citizenship Arguments

The Court heard arguments in March 1897 on whether American-born children of foreign parents automatically became citizens. Government lawyers claimed “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” required political allegiance to America.

Wong’s team argued that birth within American borders was sufficient for citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Six Justices Affirmed Birthright for All

On March 28, 1898, the Supreme Court voted 6-2 for Wong. Justice Horace Gray’s majority opinion established that the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to anyone born in America, regardless of their parents’ race or status.

The decision relied on English common law principles and ruled that Congressional exclusion acts couldn’t override constitutional citizenship guarantees.

Precedent Protected Future Generations

Wong Kim Ark established permanent precedent that birth in America means American citizenship.

The ruling protects all children born on American soil regardless of their parents’ immigration status or nationality.

Though Wong continued facing immigration challenges, his victory secured Fourteenth Amendment protections that remain constitutional law today, safeguarding millions of Americans born to immigrant families.

Visiting Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles

The Chinese American Museum sits inside the 1890 Garnier Building at 425 North Los Angeles Street in El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. This building housed the original LA Chinatown where Wong Kim Ark’s story connects to local history.

You’ll find three permanent exhibits: “Origins” covers early Chinese communities in LA, “Journeys” tells immigration stories, and the recreated Sun Wing Wo General Store and Herb Shop shows an actual business that operated here from 1891-1948. Pull out drawers in the herb shop to examine traditional medicines and tools.

The museum displays Chinese Exclusion Act panels and artifacts from families affected by these laws. Free admission, open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-3pm, with Olvera Street, Plaza Firehouse Museum, and other historic sites within walking distance.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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