Accident of Birth: Wong Kim Ark, Birthright Citizenship, and the Case That Won't Stay Settled Part 1

Supreme Court Cases Series. Episode # 1 of 5. This is Part 1 of a 2-part episode! In August 1895, a ship docks in San Francisco carrying a cook named Wong Kim Ark — born in that very city, armed with an airtight certificate proving it. The customs collector refuses to let him off anyway. What follows is a four-month standoff in the harbor, a Supreme Court case that will define what "American" means, and a legal argument that never really died. This episode traces Wong Kim Ark's fight for the citizenship he was already owed — from Chinese Exclusion to Angel Island interrogations to the Supreme Court's 2026 ruling that cited his case by name. Some questions, it turns out, don't stay settled. Find show notes and transcripts at www.digpodcast.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices