Citizenship, race, and common sense north and south of the Rio Grande: the case of Timoteo Andrade, 1935–1937

Abstract

This article analyzes the judicial decision that declared Timoteo Andrade and two other Mexicans ineligible to be granted U.S. citizenship in 1935. The decision was made based on the ‘racial’ composition of the applicants, having been the outcome of lobbying by distinct interest groups. The rejection of Andrade’s naturalization petition created so much controversy among government officials in Mexico and the United States that the authorities of both countries agreed to back it down. I reflect on the case from the Mexican perspective and review the implications the participation of private groups had in the articulation of the ideal of citizenship in the United States. In addition, I propose that, similar to what happens in Latin America, the ‘private sphere’ has had a great influence on the construction of the legal and social archetype of the US citizen. Furthermore, I argue that the appeal to this court case also exposed some of the limitations of the citizenship-building processes that occurred south of the border during the 1930s.