Martha Jones: Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America

As former slaves struggled to become citizens, they redefined citizenship for all Americans. With fresh archival sources and an ambitious reframing of constitutional law-making before the Civil War, Jones shows how the Fourteenth Amendment constitutionalized the birthright principle, fulfilling the long-held aspirations of African Americans. Martha S. Jones is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and Professor of History at The Johns Hopkins University. She is a legal and cultural historian whose work examines how black Americans have shaped the story of American democracy. Professor Jones holds a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and a J.D. from the CUNY School of Law. Her most recent book, Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America was published by Cambridge University Press in 2018. Register online.