Bates Opinion on Citizenship (1862)
E782533
Bates Opinion on Citizenship (1862) is a landmark legal opinion by U.S. Attorney General Edward Bates that clarified the national citizenship status of free African Americans during the Civil War era.
Statements (42)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Attorney General opinion
ⓘ
legal opinion ⓘ |
| aimedTo | define who is a citizen of the United States for federal purposes ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
United States national citizenship
ⓘ
free African Americans ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Union war policy
ⓘ
expansion of rights for African Americans ⓘ |
| audience | United States federal government NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| author | Edward Bates NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| authorPoliticalAffiliation | Republican Party NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| clarified | national citizenship status of free African Americans ⓘ |
| context | Civil War–era debates over slavery and emancipation ⓘ |
| contradicted | Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) interpretation of Black citizenship NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| date | 1862 ⓘ |
| denied | the idea that African descent alone excludes a person from U.S. citizenship ⓘ |
| field |
United States civil rights law
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
United States constitutional law NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| governmentBranch | executive branch of the United States government NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasAuthorBirthName | Edward Bates NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | American Civil War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced |
Civil War–era federal civil rights policy
ⓘ
later federal understanding of birthright citizenship ⓘ |
| issuedBy | Office of the Attorney General of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| legalBasis |
Constitution of the United States
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
federal statutes in force in 1862 ⓘ |
| legalConclusion |
free African Americans born in the United States are citizens of the United States
ⓘ
race does not bar national citizenship under existing federal law ⓘ |
| legalStatus |
binding within the executive branch at the time of issuance
ⓘ
non-binding judicial precedent ⓘ |
| legalSubject |
citizenship
ⓘ
civil rights ⓘ nationality law ⓘ |
| placeOfIssue | Washington, D.C. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| positionHeldByAuthor | Attorney General of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| presidentialAdministration | Abraham Lincoln administration NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| recognized | birth within the United States as a basis for national citizenship ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Dred Scott v. Sandford
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| significance | landmark opinion on the citizenship of free African Americans ⓘ |
| typeOfDocument | official legal advisory opinion ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.