Naturalization policy in the 1800s was openly driven by electoral self-interest

Evidence

In the 1800s, Democrats continued to push for liberal immigration and naturalization policies, in part because of their predictable electoral effects. At the local level, “Democratic organizations worked hard to enfranchise white male newcomers as swiftly as possible,” and, in 1845, a congressional investigation found that “urban Democratic political machines were well practiced at naturalizing thousands of immigrants just before elections.” — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 318

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Supports a genealogy of how immigration rules function as (attempted) durable political advantage — parallels the reader’s interest in how legalized ideology persists beyond rationalizing waves.
• XREF: connects to: Irish immigrants held the electoral balance of power in antebellum America. — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 45; Electoral rules have long served partisan entrenchment across American history — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 83; Party positions on naturalization are defended openly in electoral terms — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 324 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Party positions on naturalization are defended openly in electoral terms #corroborates (0.95) — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 324
• Naturalization timing disputes recur because citizenship changes electoral composition #expands (0.85) — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 319
• Nineteenth-century Republicans expanded court power to entrench economic nationalism against electoral defeat #exemplifies (0.80) — Daryl Levinson and Benjamin I. Sachs, Political Entrenchment and Public Law, 340