91 years ago today, the Supreme Court unanimously decided that Bhagat Singh Thind, an immigrant farm
91 years ago today, the Supreme Court unanimously decided that Bhagat Singh Thind, an immigrant farmer who had served in the First World War, was not eligible for citizenship. Why? Because South Asians didn’t count as “free white persons” under the law. Thind had made the case that, being from Punjab, he was literally Caucasian and therefore counted as white, and therefore should be eligible for citizenship. The Supreme Court disagreed, because “white persons” is apparently a phrase of common speech, not “scientific” term in this case. There’s a lot to unpack there.Image: a 1923 editorial newspaper clipping applauding the decision via South Asian American Digital Archive. (I find it so striking that Thind in his dungarees is labeled “The Problem” in the clipping.) -- source link
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