American Citizenship
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Citizen
- A person with certain rights and duties under a government
- A person who by birth or by choice owes allegiance, or loyalty, to a nation
How Does One Become a United States Citizen?
- By Birth - The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born on US soil, or born to parents of US citizens.
- Jus soli - Citizenship is determined by the place of one's birth (literally, right of the soil)
- Jus sanguinis - Citizenship is determined by having one or both parents who are citizens of the state (literally, right of blood)
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Who Are Americans? A Look at American Demographics
How Many Households Are Like Yours? (New York Times Interactive Infographic from June 17, 2011)
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United States Census Bureau Quick Facts
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The Changing Demographics of America (Smithsonian Magazine from August 2010)
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Your Life in Weeks (From WaitButWhy.com, May 7, 2014)
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Pew Research Center: Religious Landscape Study
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Pew Research Center
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Gallup Poll
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The Changing Definition of Citizenship
At the nation’s founding, voting was limited to white, land-owning men 21 years old or older (approximately 6% of the population at the time). Since then, through amendments to the Constitution, legislation, and Supreme Court cases, citizenship and suffrage have been expanded to include more people.
- 13th Amendment (1865) ended slavery in the US
- 14th Amendment (1868) granted former slaves citizenship
- 15th Amendment (1870) gave African American men the right to vote.
- 19th Amendment (1920) gave women the right to vote.
- 24th Amendment (1964) removed barriers to poor people’s access to vote
- 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18
The Contested History of American Freedom (Essay by historian Eric Foner)
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Preserving American Freedom: The Evolution of American Liberties in Fifty Documents (Digital Archive Project)
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Duties and Responsibilities of Citizenship
- Civic Duties – An action required by law for a citizen to perform (Things we MUST do)
- Obey Laws
- Pay Taxes
- Selective Service
- Serve in Court
- Go to School
- Civic Responsibilities – Actions we SHOULD do as citizens
- Be informed
- Vote in elections
- Participate in community
- Respect property
- Respect others