Sociology of law professor Jacqueline Battalora explains that from its founding, the United States established that whiteness—being seen as a white person—would result in access and opportunity as a matter of law.8 For example, the Naturalization Law of 1790 required that an immigrant be white in order to naturalize as a US citizen. This conferred advantage to those immigrants seen as white for more than 150 years. The law of 1790 is one among thousands that constructed a prevailing culture of preference for white people.
