Citizenship has been a core aspect of the American Dream for centuries, promising anyone who immigrates to the United States – and their posterity – a certain quality of life. In recent times, questions about the meaning of citizenship have become increasingly salient as governmental policies shift. Though this change may seem unprecedented, historical exploration of American citizenship reveals that the concept has always lacked clear definition.

As part of the Books Open, Gates Unbarred faculty dinner and dialogue series, Government Professor Dan Carpenter joined History Professor Phillip Deloria to discuss the legal history of American citizenship, particularly in the context of the Native American experience. Throughout their discussion, they encouraged the audience to give particular credence to the rights and duties impressed onto citizens and how those have influenced legislative efforts in the United States.

Deloria began the conversation by inquiring of Carpenter and the audience, “These echoes today are evocative of the past: is this episodic? Is this just a pattern of American history?” Carpenter offered his own interpretation, placing American citizenship debates into the context of a broader international movement against migration. As Deloria and Carpenter traded insights, attendees grasped how citizenship is both a debate of the past – one stemming from the Three-Fifths Clause of the Constitution, to court cases like Elks v. Wilkins, to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 – and a debate of the present, coming into the modern consciousness after the impacts of the 2008 Great Recession renewed nativist sympathies.

After the large-group discussion, faculty and students continued the conversation around small-group dinner tables. Attendees included College students, Dean of Students Tom Dunne, College Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh, and Assistant Director of Pedagogy Matthew Sohm.

“Professor Carpenter and Professor Deloria were wonderful speakers who whole-heartedly engaged with all students who attended the event. It was an exceptional experience that allowed for insightful dialogue not only between the professors but also among the students.”

Emma Pham-Tran ’27