Throughline

By Accident of Birth

Jun 9, 2022

Julie Su, an attorney and fourth-generation San Franciscan, and Carol Nackenoff, a Richter Professor Emerita, dive deep into the compelling story of Wong Kim Ark. They discuss his tumultuous return from China in 1895, where he was unjustly denied entry despite being born in the U.S. The conversation reveals the historical struggle against the Chinese Exclusion Act and the pivotal Supreme Court case that followed. Together, they reflect on the ongoing debates surrounding birthright citizenship and the profound implications for American identity and civil rights.

58:33

Creator website

Episode guests

Carol Nackenoff

Julie Su

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

wan kim arks lawyer's chance to counter.

01:29

'I'm a Laborer, a Chef, but I'm A Citizen'

01:16

Intro

2min

Chinatown's Legacy: The Case of Wong Kim Ark

8min

The Controversy of Birthright Citizenship

3min

Wong Kim Ark: Struggles for Citizenship

14min

Navigating Legal Barriers of Citizenship and Immigration

3min

The Wong Kim Ark Case: Birthright and Exclusion

10min

The Uncertain Path to Justice

2min

Racism and Justice: The Swang Kim Ark Case

2min

The Fight for Birthright Citizenship

15min

10.

Acknowledgments and Collaborations in Podcast Production

1min

11.

Listener Engagement and Investment Insights

2min

In August of 1895, a ship called the SS Coptic approached the coast of Northern California. On that boat was a passenger from San Francisco, a young man named Wong Kim Ark who was returning home after visiting his wife and child in China. He'd taken trips like this before, and expected to come back to the city he was born in, to his life and friends. But when the ship docked, officials told him he couldn't get off. The customs agent barred him according to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which denied citizenship to Chinese immigrants. Though Wong Kim Ark had been born in the U.S. and lived his whole life there, the agent said he was not a citizen.

Wong was moved from steamer to steamer for months. But he was able to contact representatives from the Chinese Six Companies, a consortium of Chinese business owners that often hired legal representation for people subject to discrimination. His subsequent legal battles culminated in the 1897 Supreme Court case United States. v. Wong Kim Ark: a case that would forever change the path of American immigration law, and play a pivotal role in the ongoing battle over who gets to be a citizen of the United States.

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