The Declaration of Intention to Become a Citizen of the United States: Its Place in Federal Law

The "Declaration of Intention" as the first prerequisite to naturalization in the United States, forms a fractional portion of the large and controversial field of nationality. With the ever increasing perfection of the means of international communication, and the consequent tendency of individuals to travel abroad, It becomes more and more important, especially in the cate of the United States, with her large immigrant population, that the rules of nationality be definitely established. Since 1795 the first step toward the acquisition of American nationality has been the declaration of intention to become a citizen.In the present discussion, an attempt has been made to present a scientific analysis of one aspect of the declaration of intention-its place in federal law. It has been sought to interpret the administration of the law in practice in the light of the purpose motivating those responsible for the enactment. Hence, after the subject has been defined and its purpose indicated, the administration of the law has been dealt with in some detail before reviewing the exempted classes created by Congress. Despite the undoubted importance of the subject, it has been necessary to omit, as beyond the scope of the present discussion, many of the most important effects of the declaration of intention.