By the law of Great Britain she became a British subject. and by her action in the court she relinquished her right of citizenship in the United States. Citizenship carries with it high privileges and obligaticis too great to be forced on a woman or arbitrarily taken lrcin her through a marriage ceremony. She Is entitled to equal rights with her husband in determining the country of her choice. and the Congress of the United States so stated in the act of September 22. 1922. signed by President Harding. which those who backed the measure state "removes the greatest single Federal disability of women left after enfranchisemlent." Stated broadly. the purpose of this law was to remove the marriage state from the field of operation of our naturalization and citizenship laws. Under the act marriage after September 22. 1922. does not operate to confer citizenship upon an alien woman whose husband was then or subsequently becomes a citizen. neither does such marriage forfeit citizenship in the case of a woman citizen who marries an alien husband unless the latter is of the class Ineligible for naturalization. Citizenship of a woman forfeited by marriage to an alien prior to September 22. 1922. may be regained by simplified naturalization proceedings. and the marriage state no longer constitutes an obstacle to the naturalization. by separate and independent proceedings. of an alien woman married to an alien hulbaad. if le himself is not barred. This change in our citizenship act and improvements in other laws of the States and Nation have been brought about to a great extent by the influence and work of womens organizations. Today women are a vital. if not the most important. factor in governmental affairs.
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naturalization