Proposed African citizenship tied full legal rights to proven assimilation and service to France

Evidence

Roume’s conditions for acquiring French citizenship included a West African place of birth and residence; proof of devotion to France or occupation of a position in the colonial administration salaried by the state; knowledge of French; proof of good financial standing and moral rectitude; no criminal record; and no history of bankruptcy. Without this decree, Roume concluded, “no real assimilation would be possible.” — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 355

Categorization

• DEFINE: Lists the concrete criteria that defined France’s conditional assimilation model for African subjects.