Americans by Choice

This study surveys how immigrants are incorporated into civic life by examining the historical development and operation of naturalization laws, legal definitions of citizenship, and judicial and administrative procedures. It analyzes political mobilization and party influence, language and residence requirements, oaths, issues of dual nationality and fraud, and the practical work of clerks, judges, and courts. Combining legal exposition, statistical tables, and institutional case studies, the volume considers how civic agencies, neighborhoods, and public institutions shape the process of becoming citizens and highlights administrative inconsistencies and implications for more uniform naturalization and Americanization practices.