| YEAR | DESCRIPTION |
|---|
| 1790 | Two year residency in the U.S. required for citizenship and one year in the state. Must be of good character. Performed in court of record. |
| 1795 | Three residency requirement added to file a Declaration of Intent and five year residency requirement added to file Final Papers. Must renounce foreign allegiance and titles of nobility. Derivative citizenship provided for wives and minor children. |
| 1804 | Widows and children of an alien who died before filing Final Papers are granted citizenship. |
| 1824 | Residency time period required between Declaration of Intent and Final Papers shortened to 2 years. |
| 1855 | Alien female marrying a U.S. citizen automatically naturalized. Repealed in 1922. |
| 1862 | Aliens over age 21 who served in the Army could become citizens after 1 year of residency. |
| 1868 | African Americans became citizens via 14th Amendment. |
| 1872 | Alien seaman serving 3 years on U.S. merchant vessel can be naturalized without fulfilling a residency requirement. |
| 1882 | Chinese excluded from citizenship. Repealed in 1943. |
| 1891 | Polygamists and persons convicted of certain crimes or carrying certain diseases excluded from citizenship. |
| 1894 | Aliens serving in the Navy or Marine Corps could be naturalized under same conditions as 1862 law for the Army. |
| 1906 | Alien registration was required. Residency requirements changed to 2 years to file Declaration of Intent and 5 years to file Final Papers. |
| 1907 | Female U.S. citizen who married an alien lost her U.S. citizenship and took the nationality of her husband. Repealed in 1922, but citizenship not restored until 1936. |
| 1918 | Aliens serving in U.S. forces during WWI can be naturalized without any residency requirement. |
| 1922 | Females 21 years of age and over entitled to citizenship. Derivative citizenship discontinued. Residency requirement to file Declaration of Intent discontinued. |
| 1924 | All non-citizen Indians born within U.S. become citizens of the U.S., including those living on tribal reservations (considered "separate nation" prior to this time). |
| 1940 | Alien Registration Act requires registration and fingerprinting at local post office within 30 days of arrival. |
by Christina K. Schaefer, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2009.
