A+E Networks. Claiming his right to the English throne, William, duke of Normandy, invades England at Pevensey on Britainâs southeast coast. His subsequent defeat of King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings marked the beginning of a new era in British history.William was the illegitimate son of Robert I, duke of Normandy, by his concubine Arlette, a tannerâs daughter from the town of Falaise.illiam then marched on London and received the cityâs submission. On Christmas Day, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman king of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end.
18th century [edit]. The United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787. Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization.
27-30, enacted April 9, 1866, was the first United States federal law to define US citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. It was mainly intended to protect the civil rights of Africans born in or brought to America, in the wake of the American Civil War.This legislation was enacted by Congress in 1865 but vetoed by President Andrew Johnson. In April 1866 Congress again passed the bill.Although Johnson again vetoed it, a two-thirds majority in each house overcame the veto and the bill therefore became law.n any event, there is currently no consensus that the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 actually purports to confer any legal benefits upon white citizens. Congressman Samuel Shellabarger said that it did not.