This is My Own, My Native Land
Kohler, Mira Edson. “This is My Own, My Native Land.” New York Tribune. February 9, 1919. Page 9.
Document Text |
Summary |
| “This is My Own, My Native Land” By Mira Edson Kohler |
“This is My Own, My Native Land” By Mira Edson Kohler |
| The man without a country has been held as one deserving of our sympathy. It is perhaps true of a woman, too—though no one seems to have thought of it. | The US treats men without clear citizenship as people who deserve sympathy. Why don’t women receive the same treatment? |
| As to birth, I was born in the very heart, one might say, geographically, of this broad land; as to parentage, from two old America families, both originally from New England. . . | I was born in the western US, the daughter of two old American families. |
| A Woman Without a Country
To-day, however, I find myself without a citizenship. Have I a country? |
But today I am no longer a recognized citizen of the US. Do I have a country? |
| Some years ago I married a foreigner of South German birth, who had left Germany because of what the army discipline meant. When I knew him he was a whole-souled admirer of this land and all its history and documents. During the many years he had spent in this country his parents had died, and all connection with Europe had long since ceased. Even the language had been dropped. | Some years ago I married a German immigrant. He has lived here many years and has no strong ties to his home country. He doesn’t even speak German. |
| He was deeply interested in the institutions and the attitude of mind which were American and the matter of citizenship had not seemed of immediate consequence. | He was interested in American ideals and institutions, but was not in any hurry to become a citizen. |
| Later on he took out first papers, “as a present” to me; but before the necessary two years had passed for ratifying them the matter of the war placed them on the table. | Eventually, he started the process of becoming a citizen as a gift to me. But then World War I started, and all Germans were barred from becoming American citizens. |
| And there they are.
His citizenship paper might allow me to come to the polls in my native land, but the personal inheritance I have in the country does not! And through the strange working out of things—where, indeed, is my legal allegiance supposed to be? |
I was born and raised in this country, but by marrying an immigrant I lost my citizenship rights. If he became a citizen I would get them back, but for now I have no official country. |
| Of course, one does not allow things like this to alienate one from one’s country. | Of course, this does not prevent me from being loyal to the US. |
| But is the country not going to allow women thus placed—for there may be others in similar state—to speak? When thousands of women went to the polls last fall; when they considered this candidate and that, this party and that, I was barred from what I had so long waited for. | But will the US keep women married to immigrants from participating in their government? Last fall thousands of women cast their vote, but I was not allowed to. |
| Would it not be wholly fair and quite safe for the country to allow its women to register on their own account, and the facts that they have American antecedents—as two old American names attest—and that they have lived, earned their own way, taught the young of the nation and entered many of the forward movements for years— | Wouldn’t it be more fair if women could register to vote based on their own status and history in this country? |
| might not these count as something in preparing them for the vote? Is a young man of twenty-one better qualified? | Is a young man of twenty-one more qualified than me just because I married an immigrant? |
| This is my country by every possible right, and no one can say me nay. It is, both by nature and choice. But for me to enjoy citizenship my country must recognize me. | This is my country. No one can tell me otherwise. But for me to be a citizen, my country must recognize me. |
Kohler, Mira Edson. “This is My Own, My Native Land.” New York Tribune. February 9, 1919. Page 9.
Document TextExpatriation Act of 1907 |
SummaryExpatriation Act of 1907 |
| That any American woman who marries a foreigner shall take the nationality of her husband. At the termination of the marital relation she may resume her American citizenship, if abroad, by registering as an American citizen within one year with a consul of the United States, or by returning to reside in the United States, or, if residing in the United States at the termination of the marital relation, by continuing to reside therein. | Any American woman who marries a citizen of another country will take on the citizenship of her husband. If she is living abroad at the end of the marriage, she can become an American citizen again by registering with the United States consulate or returning to live in the US within one year. If she is already living in the US, her American citizenship will return when the marriage ends if she stays in the US. |
Background
The Expatriation Act of 1907 stated that when a woman got married, she took on the citizenship status of her husband. This meant that an American woman who married an immigrant lost her US citizenship. Congress claimed the act would prevent the complications of dual citizenship, but the act was also born out of a widespread fear of the growing number of immigrants in the US. The act discouraged American women from marrying foreign-born men by punishing them for doing so. The act also emphasized the long held belief that marriage was the defining aspect of any woman’s life.
The Expatriation Act had serious consequences for many American women. For example, even with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, women who lost their citizenship via marriage were unable to register to vote. The passage of the Cable Act in 1922 repealed the Expatriation Act. However, the Cable Act established other regulations that continued to create problems for many women who married immigrant men. It was not until 1940 that such women were able to fully regain their citizenship, regardless of marital status.
For more about the link between marriage and citizenship, watch the video below.
This video is from “Women Have Always Worked,” a free massive open online course produced in collaboration with Columbia University.
About the Resources
The first document is a 1919 article by Mira Edson Kohler. It explains how her citizenship was impacted by her choice to marry a German immigrant. She also explains why this is an unfair policy. Mira lived in New York State, which granted women the right to vote in 1917, but she was not allowed to register to vote because of her marriage to a non-American.
The second document is an excerpt from the Expatriation Act, which was passed by Congress in 1907. This section specifically addresses the citizenship status of American women who marry immigrants.
Vocabulary
- dual citizenship: Being a legal resident of two countries.
- Expatriation Act: A 1907 law that stripped women of their US citizenship if they married a foreign-born man.
- naturalized citizen: An immigrant who completed the process of becoming a citizen in their new country.
- suffragist: A person who campaigned to win women the right to vote.
Discussion Questions
- What does the Expatriation Act of 1907 tell us about people’s concerns around citizenship, immigration, and gender in the early 1900s?
- How did Mira Edson Kohler’s citizenship change after she married her husband?
- What does Mira Edson Kohler mean when she says she is a “woman without a country”?
- Mira provides a brief account of her family history and her own life. What does she highlight and why does she do this?
Suggested Activities
- Connect this document to William Blackstone’s explanation of coverture, a common law practice where women fell under the legal and economic oversight of their husbands upon marriage. Ask students to discuss how the Expatriation Act reaffirms the principle of coverture and further prevents women from asserting their citizenship as individuals.
- Pair this article with the photograph of Japanese picture brides arriving on Angel Island. The photograph relates to the Gentleman’s Agreement, another immigration-related policy enacted in 1907. Discuss how both the Expatriation Act and the Gentleman’s Agreement created unique challenges for women by linking immigration and citizenship to marriage.
- Teach this resource together with the life story of Emma Goldman and ask the students to write about how in the early 1900s marriage became a tool to reinforce racist and xenophobic policies.
- Pair this resource with Medical Exams on Ellis Island, Life Story: Paik Kuang Sun, aka Mary Paik Lee, and Life Story: Mother Cabrini, aka Maria Francesca Cabrini for a larger lesson about American attitudes toward immigration in this era.
Themes
IMMIGRATION, MIGRATION, AND SETTLEMENT; DOMESTICITY AND FAMILY; POWER AND POLITICS
