The 14th Amendment and Citizenship: Multiple Choice Assessment

Answer each of the following multiple choice questions about the 14th Amendment and citizenship. Read each question carefully and select the best answer. This assessment covers the Citizenship Clause, key Supreme Court cases (Elk v. Wilkins and U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark), and the broader implications of the 14th Amendment.

Which of the following statements best describes the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment?

What was the main legal question in Elk v. Wilkins (1884)?

What did the Supreme Court decide in Elk v. Wilkins?

Which Supreme Court case confirmed that children born in the U.S. to foreign parents are citizens under the 14th Amendment?

What was the main issue in U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)?

How did the 14th Amendment change the definition of citizenship in the United States?

Which group was specifically excluded from automatic citizenship by the Supreme Court in Elk v. Wilkins?

What is the significance of the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" in the Citizenship Clause?

Which of the following is a direct result of the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark?

Which right is exclusive to U.S. citizens and not available to green card holders?

Why was the phrase “All persons born or naturalized in the United States” important in 1868?

How do the outcomes of Elk v. Wilkins and Wong Kim Ark differ?

Why was the Dred Scott decision significant in defining citizenship?

What do cases like Dred Scott, Elk, and Wong Kim Ark reveal about U.S. citizenship?

How does a green card serve as a step toward citizenship?

In 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order excluding birthright citizenship to US children born to mother unlawfully present or present under temporary visa status and fathers who were neither US citizens nor lawful permanent residents. He claimed that they were not “subject to the jurisdiction thereof" under the 14th Amendment. The order was suppose to take effect in February, 2025 but federal judges issued nationwide injunctions to block the enforcement of the Executive Order.

Do you believe the 14th Amendment’s definition of citizenship should be changed? (View the rubric so you know how you are being scored)