Final answer:
The writers of the U.S. Constitution did not define citizenship due to contentious issues related to race and slavery, leaving it to states to set their own criteria; this was later addressed nationally by the Fourteenth Amendment. Over time, laws evolved to broaden the definition and inclusivity of American citizenship.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the Lack of Citizenship Definition in the U.S. Constitution
The framers of the U.S. Constitution, drafted in 1787, did not explicitly define American citizenship. At the time, there were already established notions of citizenship based on English common law which influenced the colonies. However, the nature of citizenship and who qualified was a contentious topic due to issues surrounding slaves and free African-Americans. Rather than creating a uniform definition, citizenship criteria were left to individual states.
Eventually, the concept of national citizenship would become codified through the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, which clarified that all persons born or naturalized in the United States were citizens. Despite this, details regarding citizenship would continue to be refined through subsequent legislation, including U.S. Code Title 8.
The nationality legislation at the time, such as the 1790 Naturalization Act, defined citizenship in racial terms, excluding non-white individuals. It wasn't until later acts, such as the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and the civil rights movements, that broader inclusivity in American citizenship would emerge.