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therefore it didn't require a two-thirds.
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It was the first statutory definition in American history
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of the rights of citizenship.
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It was potentially a profound change in federal state relations.
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This Republican Congress and its leadership, at least,
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was going to do some very new things with American federalism.
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Now, it had a bunch of flaws.
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It gave full citizenship to all Americans, regardless of race,
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creed or color; it said that, the first time ever, in our history.
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We'd never had a citizenship law.
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It had never been legally determined who was a U.S. citizen.
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But citizenship had always implied whiteness, and maleness.