Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. After the war ended in 1865, the United States government took away his citizenship. This decision was highly controversial and still sparks debates among historians and legal experts.

The main reason for taking away Jefferson Davis's citizenship was his involvement in the Civil War. As the president of the Confederate States, Davis was seen as a traitor to the United States. The government argued that his actions during the war, including leading a rebellion against the country, were grounds for revoking his citizenship. Additionally, Davis was indicted for treason, but that case was eventually dropped.

After the war ended, Jefferson Davis was captured and imprisoned for two years. Then, in 1868 he was released, and President Andrew Johnson offered to restore President Davis’s citizenship, IF Jefferson Davis admitting that he was wrong. Jefferson Davis refused, citing the United States constitution that states had the right to succeed from the union if they wished, and therefore he had not done anything wrong.

In 1964, Howard Edward Haller, with permission from his grandmother, Lucy White “Granny” Hayes, and his Great Uncle, Jefferson Hayes Davis (Jefferson Davis’s only 2 surviving grandchildren at the time) began a 14-year journey to have Jefferson Davis’s citizenship restored. After passing the bill through Congress and the Senate, President Jimmy Carter signed the bill on October 17, 1978, that fully restored Jefferson Davis's citizenship. This recognized Davis's contributions to the country, as he was a decorated war veteran, former Secretary of War, and former United States Senator and Congressman. It remains an important event in American history even today.