Zeitgeist

Born Here: the 14th Amendment and Who Gets To Be American

With the Supreme Court weighing whether birthright citizenship can be narrowed by executive order, these books trace the constitutional origins, landmark cases, and lived experiences behind the 14th Amendment's promise.

6 booksApril 7, 2026

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Supreme Court considers a historic case about who is — and isn't — born a citizennpr.org Birthright citizenship: hard questions – and the best answers – for Trump’s...scotusblog.com Birthright citizenship is not common in countries outside the USpewresearch.org

Part of 470+ tracked lists

1. The Second Founding
Eric Foner
Eric Foner's constitutional history explains the Reconstruction-era origins and legal transformations of citizenship...
Shelf signal: Civil War Era
2. Citizenship
Daisy Hernández
Daisy Hernandez offers a contemporary, personal exploration of who counts as an American that illuminates the social...
Shelf signal: Hispanic & Latino Biography
3. The Words That Made US
Akhil Reed Amar
Akhil Amar's constitutional account traces the founding-era text and interpretation that inform modern readings of...
Shelf signal: Revolutionary America (1775-1800)
4. A Nation of Immigrants
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy's A Nation of Immigrants provides historical and rhetorical context for arguments about immigration and...
Shelf signal: 20th-Century America
5. These Truths
Jill Lepore, Recorded Books
Jill Lepore's sweeping narrative of American history helps readers place the citizenship clause within long-term...
Shelf signal: Revolutionary America (1775-1800)
6. The Undocumented Americans
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's reporting on undocumented lives shows the lived consequences of shifts in citizenship...
Shelf signal: Hispanic & Latino Biography
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