Wong Kim Ark was born in 1873 in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents during an era shaped by exclusion and racial hostility. After traveling to China in 1894, he was denied reentry to the United States under the Chinese Exclusion Act, which restricted Chinese immigration and denied citizenship to Chinese nationals. Wong challenged the decision, and his case reached the Supreme Court as United States v. Wong Kim Ark.
In 1898, the Court ruled in his favor, affirming that the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ nationality. This landmark decision established a foundational principle of American identity, reinforcing that citizenship is not defined by race or ancestry, but by place of birth. Wong Kim Ark’s case remains central to debates over immigration and citizenship today.
The Joy Trip Project celebrates our shared American heritage. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American history.
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