Definitions of whiteness in the United States - Wikipedia
Arab Americans[edit]
Until 1909, Arab-Americans were widely viewed as white. From 1909 to 1923, courts made inconsistent rulings on their racial status, and the issue was a subject of a high volume of litigation. The community received little attention from nativists, perhaps because of their small numbers.[25]
The landmark 1909 court case involving George Shishim, a Lebanese-American policeman in California, was sparked by his arrest of a prominent local resident. The man claimed the arrest was invalid because Shishim was Lebanese, and thus not racially white but rather "Chinese-Mongolian" and had no right to arrest him.[26] Shishim, his attorneys, and the Syrian-Lebanese and Arab American communities rallied to prove that Lebanese, Syrians, and all Arabs and Middle Easterners were in fact "white" to both gain official citizenship in the United States, as well as avoid other exclusive and restrictive penalties of being labeled as Asian.[24] Shishim's naturalization application was opposed by the U.S. government on the grounds that he was not white. In ruling for Shishim, the judge found that U.S. courts had construed Syrians to be white for more than a century.[27]
Despite the Shishim case, Arab-Americans were found to be not white by U.S. immigration authorities, beginning in 1911. That led to more litigation, with the Arab-American community arguing forcefully to be considered white. The issue was resolved by the Immigration Act of 1917, which stated that for purposes of immigration and naturalization, Syrians and Palestinians were w
Arab Americans[edit]
Until 1909, Arab-Americans were widely viewed as white. From 1909 to 1923, courts made inconsistent rulings on their racial status, and the issue was a subject of a high volume of litigation. The community received little attention from nativists, perhaps because of their small numbers.[25]
The landmark 1909 court case involving George Shishim, a Lebanese-American policeman in California, was sparked by his arrest of a prominent local resident. The man claimed the arrest was invalid because Shishim was Lebanese, and thus not racially white but rather "Chinese-Mongolian" and had no right to arrest him.[26] Shishim, his attorneys, and the Syrian-Lebanese and Arab American communities rallied to prove that Lebanese, Syrians, and all Arabs and Middle Easterners were in fact "white" to both gain official citizenship in the United States, as well as avoid other exclusive and restrictive penalties of being labeled as Asian.[24] Shishim's naturalization application was opposed by the U.S. government on the grounds that he was not white. In ruling for Shishim, the judge found that U.S. courts had construed Syrians to be white for more than a century.[27]
Despite the Shishim case, Arab-Americans were found to be not white by U.S. immigration authorities, beginning in 1911. That led to more litigation, with the Arab-American community arguing forcefully to be considered white. The issue was resolved by the Immigration Act of 1917, which stated that for purposes of immigration and naturalization, Syrians and Palestinians were w
