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Due to some political statements made on October 30th (today), I would like to know how someone became a citizen of the United States prior to the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

There is a related question for how the first American citizens were granted citizenship, which I believe is a different question. First the question dealt with the ratification of the original constitution and those already here. Second, the accepted answer provides evidence to the Articles of Confederation which is a different document to the US Constitution.

An ideal answer would focus on how any person living or born in the United States would become a citizen. The answer would need to address the time between the ratification of the US Constitution (1789) and the adoption of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (1868).

Under Federal Statute, a person being naturalized had to meet certain requirements, such as renouncing allegiance to any foreign prince or power, and having shown them self to be of good character for a certain number of years. This number of years has varied from time-to-time; in the 1820s it was 10 years; at earlier dates it was 5 years,etc. The person to be naturalized would then appear before a federal court judge to make their petition, and swear allegiance to the United States of America.

Following are the court records for one such naturalization, of Johann Peter Köhli, of Switzerland, and his son, Christian. They had entered the United States at Philadelphia in 1818, and were naturalized at Detroit in 1828.

Following are portions of two pages from the Michigan Supreme Court, v.6, p.141 and p. 142, the printed record, followed by the manuscript petition as originally approved.

The persons here naturalized are my g.g.g. grandfather, and his son, my g.g. grandfather. The process varies only slightly throughout the early years of the United States.