### q2 Ancient Athens passed anti-immigrant laws > Known as the Periclean Citizenship Law, the law passed around 451 BCE restricted access to political power and other legal rights to only those born of both a citizen mother and father. Prior to this law, one needed only a citizen father. We don’t know for certain why the law was passed, but part of the reason may very well have been a desire to restrict the large number of immigrant craftsmen and merchants whom Athenian citizens felt might compete with them for certain work — contrary to what [Laurialan Reitzammer](http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2017/04/10/ancient-greeks-immigrants-boon-threat-homeland-security/ideas/nexus/) suggests, male citizens did many of the same jobs as male immigrants (and slaves), often working side by side (we even have [payment lists](http://fromstonetoscreen.com/the-erechtheion-inscriptions/) showing that they got the same pay!). - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fgynhyqbfdy5bxd1w91n9n0a) - [[We Condone It by Our Silence by Rebecca Futo Kennedy#q2 Ancient Athens passed anti-immigrant laws|View in Vault]]