Who is a citizen of the United States?

Who is considered American has changed since the Continental Congress declared independence in 1776. In creating a new country, the founding generation decided who was included in the Union and who were outsiders. In Tennessee, enslaved people and Indigenous tribes were among those whose full inclusion in the American story happened long after the Revolution.

How does understanding the history of who was considered an American affect our understanding of our country’s history? What might that knowledge allow us to do in the future?