Citizenship and Naturalization – The UncommonWealth

Newspapers

“Columbia’s Roll Call”: Hampton Institute’s 1892 Pageant & the Native American Struggle for Citizenship

When I first arrived at the Library of Virginia for my summer internship in public history, I was given two projects: to write a biography…

Jessica VigilJanuary 5, 2026

Archives Education & Programming Newspapers

“One of the Most Unique Papers”: Documenting Chinese American Citizenship in Virginia

On a Monday morning in May of 1903, six men waited in the Richmond federal courthouse to learn whether they would remain in Virginia or…

Jessi BennettMay 28, 2025

Archives Education & Programming

Was the First Filipino American Citizen Naturalized in Norfolk County?

While working on records in the Naturalization Records Digital Collection, I came across one that made me stop and do a double-take. It was the…

McKenzie LongMay 14, 2025

Archives Virginia Authors

Migration of Paperwork

For many entering the United States, bureaucratic paperwork is one of their first encounters with the United States government. Deepak Singh, author of How May…

Library of VirginiaApril 19, 2023

Digital Projects Education & Programming

Civic Season 2022

The Library of Virginia is excited to partner with Made by Us, a coalition of history museums, archives, historical societies, and civic education organizations, in…

Library of VirginiaJune 15, 2022

Education & Programming

Whiteness on Trial: Asian Americans and the Right to Citizenship

CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and…

Emma ItoMay 19, 2021

Archives

Alien Lands: Land Ownership and Inheritance Laws for Immigrants in Virginia

“Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a colony of aliens who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of Anglify…

Vince BrooksNovember 18, 2020

Virginia Authors

New Books – July 2020

The Library of Virginia is now open by appointment only. During this initial reopening phase, researchers will be able to use the collections by appointment…

Donna PletcherJuly 27, 2020

Education & Programming

A Book List on Racism and Resistance in Virginia History

Evidence of the past appears in many forms. We find history in manuscript records, old newspapers, artifacts in a plowed field. But history is also…

Rebecca SchneiderJune 29, 2020

Newspapers

Finding Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDAs) in Virginia Newspapers

The Library of Virginia has an extensive collection of historical and current newspapers, with more than one million pages digitized. Newspapers can be a direct…

Emma ItoMay 22, 2020

Archives

Abandoned Papers: The Naturalization Certificates of Ow Chuck Sam and Eng Yick Yu

Unclaimed property from banks, estates, or other repositories often ends up in the possession of the Virginia Department of the Treasury. If they are not…

Cara GriggsDecember 4, 2019

Archives

“He is the petitioner”: The Military Petitions for Naturalization of Camp Lee’s Nurses during World War I

From 1795 to 1952, the United States’ naturalization process required a declaration of intention followed by a petition for naturalization. On 9 May 1918, Congress…

Cara GriggsNovember 13, 2019

Education & Programming

History in Your Hands: The Smartest Way to Explore 400 Years of History

Love history? Love to travel? The Virginia History Trails app is for you! Developed by the 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, in collaboration with the Library…

John DealFebruary 27, 2019

Archives

Our History as Told by the Pittsylvania County Court Records

In the past few months, I have examined dozens of boxes of unprocessed Pittsylvania County court records dating back to the 1760s, searching for chancery…

Greg CrawfordSeptember 19, 2018

Archives

“My place of residence is Camp Lee, Virginia”: World War I Military Naturalizations

Beginning in 1795, the United States required individuals who wished to become United States citizens to file a declaration of intent, followed by a petition…

Cara GriggsNovember 8, 2017