Historic Supreme Courts--14th Amendment, Episode 6: All Persons, With an Asterisk: The Chinese Exclusion Act vs. the 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment promised "all persons" citizenship, but the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Supreme Court's Chae Chan Ping decision turned that into "all persons, except..." It's a moment where constitutional ideals collide with racial politics, and the result is ugly and unnervingly familiar.

In this episode we unpack how exclusion became law and how courts gave it a special pass, changing who gets to belong. It's short, sharp, and a reminder that rights only matter if we keep fighting for them.