How Do You Define a Citizen? Essay

Citizenship can be defined as the position or status of being a citizen in a particular country (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). This definition is not very broad, nor does it cover the many aspects of citizenship that exist in the 21st century. It is not only about being a legal citizen of a particular country, it is also about being a social citizen. You can be a citizen of Australia but choose to live elsewhere for the majority of your life. In terms of citizenship it is relevant on a political and social level. If you are actively contributing to the country in which you live in some ways you are fulfilling your duties as a citizen.

“Citizenship is so much more than a piece of paper, it’s a guide to live your life”

She quotes straight from the constitution and some widely known dictionary writers such as Webster giving her a strong argumentative base. "Webster, Worcester, and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled to vote and hold

Citizenship is when a person is accepted as a member of a society due to customs or laws. Another way to think about citizenship is that one does not truly become a member of a society until said person has managed to learn and master the tools and trades that allow the society and its members to go on with their everyday lives.

According to the Oxford dictionary the term citizenship can be defined as: “The state of being vested with the rights and privileges, and duties of a citizen.” In the short story ‘Borders’ by Thomas King the term citizenship is of main focus. Through the many borders that are presented within the story, King argues that citizenship overlooks culture and heritage, instead focusing on a single border: that being where the individual resides. The short story is narrated from the young boy’s perspective, as him and his mother struggle to cross the Canadian-American border to visit the young boy’s sister Latitia. The young boy and his mother are not able to cross the border

Citizenship is a status or standing given by government to it's people It was first thought of in ancient times by Athens. Athens was a city-state part of the peninsula Greece. This whole transition to citizenship instead of subjects was thought to begin at around 500 BCE, but Athens wasn't the only one participating in this new ideology. Rome, of the Italian peninsula, decided that citizenship was a good way to make their subjects feel proud of their home, so both civilizations started using these new principles. But which citizenship system was better Rome or Athens.

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.” Without the right that the Constitution brings us, we wouldn’t have rights therefore the United States wouldn’t be a good place to live in. The Constitution brings us the right of freedom of speech (first amendment) , the right to bear arms (second amendment), and the right to protect against unreasonable government actions such as search and seizure of person property (fourth amendment). Being an American citizen means that you have rights that they would like you to fulfil. As an American citizen is it voluntary to vote, but others are required such as obeying the law and paying taxes. The Magna Carta, John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, and the Petition of Rights explains the rights and the responsibilities of an American citizen.

2. Define a citizen. Someone who is born in the U.S. or someone who goes through the naturalization process.

Citizenship is defined as a being a citizen or a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state. Citizen preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people. The concept of which in one of its earliest was given to us by the Romans, who had just began to understand the importance of a populace contributing to the decisions of its own fate. Modern American citizenship as we know it today was defined for us in the constitution of this nation by the founding fathers. Citizenship as they had envisioned it even back then was not free, but came with a price. A citizen was

Citizenship is not a recent idea, nor it is an ancient organization of society. The idea that the ordinary person should play a role in society emerged as citizenship, and the status, given by a government to some or all people, balances individual rights and individual responsibilities to aid the government. The most predominant form of early citizenship is in Athens and Rome, in which the people of a state are known as citizens as opposed to subjects, who populate the empires in Egypt, Babylon, and China. In spite of having a similar governing system, Rome and Athens are two drastically different civilizations; their differences not only stem from the drastic difference in their population number, but also from their ideals of life. However,

What does it mean to be a citizen? What does it mean to be a part of a country? I believe that being a citizen is much more than just living in the same country for a set number of years. There are several ways that the word "citizen" can be defined. For example, individuals may say that when you do good deeds and make your country a better place you are considered a citizen. When you work hard to donate to your country you are showing that you believe in While there are other individuals believe that being a good citizen means portraying kindness, generosity, a helping hand; what some people may refer to as a servants ' heart. Of course, different countries will have different interpretations of

Citizens who are born in the United States sometimes take advantage of the system and are still considered “citizens.” This is unfair for the immigrants who work, pay taxes and are trying to become a citizen of the state, but have to go through a long and complex process. However, others say that immigrants come here illegally into the country are breaking the law, but most of these immigrants are desperate to start another life and earn money to send back home. Also immigrants do not understand the slow and long processes to be allowed in another country.

So what does citizenship means to me? Is it just a piece of paper that says you are a citizen of a country or does it mean something more in a deeper level. When I was just a little boy my mother always talks about that when we move to the United States we should apply for citizenship immediately. As I was growing up here in the United States I slowly understand what citizenship means to me. Being a citizen for me is fulfilling my obligations toward my country, Living a lifestyle that benefits myself and my community and having good sense of patriotism.

What does it mean to be a citizen? Or what does it mean to be a republican citizen? Every thinker will give a different definition to the concept of citizenship through history. Sometimes their definition will nuance just slightly. In the classical definition of citizenship, Aristotle and some other thinkers see the citizen as an “active, political being” (P35). An active citizen is the one who will get involved in the activities of her or his community. In the self-govern republic, the citizen will get involve in the political life. However, the political requires some sacrifice, at least one has to dedicate her or his time at the expenses of his personal life. In fact, Dagger suggests states that the citizen has to be “prepared to […] set aside their private interest when necessary for the public as a whole” (P17). Many will interpret this as a need for the citizen to sacrifice his personal interest for others, the community. Therefore, they

Being an active citizen is something that everyone in the United States is required to be, yet not everyone actually is one. Many people may believe that just voting is enough to be a good citizen, but voting is actually the least of their duties. Citizens have a set of rights and responsibilities, including the right to participate in decisions that affect public welfare. Being an active citizen means that people get involved in their local communities and democracy at all levels, from their town to nationwide activity. This can be volunteering to clean up the park or street, or educating students on democratic values, skills and participation. Active citizenship is a mixture of knowledge, attitude, skills and actions that aim to contribute to building and preserving a democratic society. When citizens speak up about problems in their communities, public officials take notice and may take action to answer their concerns, which empowers the citizens of the community.