Not So Fast, Immigrants
- Section 1: Immigrants have to wait a certain period of time between coming over and declaring an intent to become citizens.
- The Naturalization Act increased this period from three to five years.
- They also have to live in the US for fourteen years before they could become a citizen.
- Section 2: An officer of the court has to send a detailed description of the immigrant to the Secretary of State, and also gets paid two dollars by the state for his trouble. Yay.
- Section 3: That description needs to be filed. There's another two dollars in it for the person doing the filing.
- Section 4: White immigrants have to be reported and registered, and those free white people get a certificate.
- Section 5: If immigrants refuse to report, they get fined two dollars. (Two dollars was a way bigger sum back then.)
- Section 6: Hang onto that certificate and be prepared to show it when asked.
- Section 7: Violate any part of this, and the courts will punish you.