Born in San Francisco in 1873, Wong Kim Ark was the son of Chinese immigrants. Anti-Chinese sentiment was increasing in America when Kim Ark was growing up. The government passed a law excluding more Chinese from coming to the United States; it also prevented his parents from ever becoming citizens. When they moved back to China, Kim Ark, a U.S. citizen, stayed behind. When Kim Ark went to visit his parents in China, he knew he’d have to prove he was a citizen when he returned to the United States, but officials wouldn’t believe him, or didn’t care. Kim Ark was imprisoned for more than a month. The legal fight continued after his release, going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Constitution made clear anyone born in the country is a citizen, but government lawyers argued “that Kim Ark couldn’t be a citizen because his Chinese ancestors had different customs and language from most people in America.” It took the Justices almost a year to decide in Kim Ark’s favor in 1898, a case that affirms that anyone born in the United States or its territories can call this nation home. This picture-book account includes more about anti-Chinese racism and Wong Kim Ark, the case, and U.S citizenship in the back matter. (Ages 7-10)