Citizenship and residency here in the U.S. comes with many rights, but these rights come hand-in-hand with many responsibilities as well. The things that we as Americans have the privilege of being able to do come at the cost of having these responsibilities and as citizens, and even residents, we must do our part to be able to continue to have these rights. As citizens of this country we share many rights that people in other countries may not necessarily have the right to do. The greatest rights we citizens share are the rights to chose how we live our lives, to speak our minds and hold our own opinions, the right to practice our own religion without fear of persecution, the right to be proven innocent or guilty of a crime we have been accused of committing in front of an unbiased panel of fellow citizens, and most importantly we have the right to vote for public officials and run for these offices ourselves. These rights we share as citizens set this country above many others as there are numerous countries around the world that do not give their citizens the rights that we have here. However, with the long list of rights we share in this country comes a list of responsibilities as members of this nation just as long. Everything comes at a price and things can be taken away just as easily as they were given. The rights we as U.S. citizens share are no different. As citizens here in this country, it is our responsibility to uphold this country’s ideals such as the belief
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.
The Birthright Citizenship Amendment is one that has caused controversy. Should a person that is born in the US, regardless of whether the parents were here temporarily, or illegally be considered an American citizen? The 14th Amendment states “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they reside”, ( Spalding, 2010). The interpretation of this amendment has caused the controversy.
“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.
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
Being a citizen of the United States comes with advantages that no other country can match. We are granted rights and privileges just for being born within our borders. Others can also gain these rights by adopting our way of life and swearing to uphold its values. Being a citizen or not, we are expected to obey laws that the U.S. Government has put in place to maintain order and balance. When we don’t obey these laws the government has the right to punish us. Luckily for us, our Bill of Rights has even granted us rights until proven guilty. It gives us rights to a fair and speedy trial as well as the right to representation during trial. So many rights and procedures have come about since the birth of our nation. We are constantly making
You vote for your government officials and you have the freedom to say whatever you would like to say. You can speak up for anything and everything that you believe in, such as your own rights and beliefs. You have unalienable rights and privileges that are protected. In America you have the right to practice any religion. There are many individuals who chose to leave their country in fear of being tormented and even killed because of their religion and beliefs, which is something that they don’t have to worry about in America as it is stated in the constitution. Being an American means much more than having rights, it’s having duties and being able to hold yourself
The preservation of our civil rights and liberties is essential to the health of our democracy, particularly when they are threatened in the name of national security or patriotism. We, as a nation must not lose our essential rights; they are what make our country great. Everyone living in the U.S., regardless of citizenship status, should receive equal treatment under the law. I feel like we must seek continuously seek new solutions to make America safe without diminishing our fundamental freedoms, which I feel are very important. The United States’ efforts to protect the nation are best served by laws that also protect the fundamental human rights of all who live here. Right now, more than ever, we need to have the courage to stand up for our core values of liberty, democracy, and justice for
The scorching sun shimmered against the immigrants’ sweat, as they passed the border between the two connecting countries, the United States of America, and New Mexico. An half empty gallon of water, accompanied by a couple of crackers, and a large bag of clothing. As they wander on the other side of the border, their life will be different than the one they have left behind; will it be wonder, or despair for these illegal immigrants? Illegal immigration is an issue which has followed the United States for centuries to come, and with illegal immigrants by its side, gradually increasing the situation. The illegal immigrants found in the United States should be granted the path to citizenship.
What is American Citizenship? Some people would argue that our idea of citizenship is what separates our country from the rest and makes us better than any country before. The first ten amendments of The Constitution, also known as the bill of rights, lays out basic rights for the citizens of America. This includes the freedom of speech, and the right to a fair and speedy trial. However, these rights also come with some responsibilities. Some are voluntary like participating in the democratic process and some are mandatory like obeying federal, state, and local laws (Remy, 2006, p. 391). Whether mandatory or not, all the responsibilities of American citizens are necessary to create the working democratic process that is seen today. American
Every American has three rights that cannot be taken away from them. The three rights include: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. This is stated in the Declaration of Independence but, a person's "life" right is becoming jeopardized among teens who are committing crimes. The Eight Amendment banned cruel and unusual punishment, but people have tried to get teens sentenced to life in prison without any chance of some type of parole. A child will be treated like one until they do something bad. Of course, when they commit a crime, they have to pay the consequences. On the other hand, giving them a life sentence is unconstitutional thanks to the Eight Amendment. Before giving them their sentence, they should take into consideration all the resources and possibilities available to them when they committed the crime, and make sure the child was not acting under the influence of someone else.
Become a citizen of one of the best nations in the world is a privilege that not many people have. I’m talking about the United States of America. If you are an U.S natural born citizen you have rights and responsibilities that protect you based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S Constitution. People who are in the position to become U.S. citizens gain the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities of citizenship as natural born American with the only restriction that they can’t be eligible for President of the United States.
These freedoms are given to us and can be taken away from citizens who commit crimes against the state and the country. As citizens we must “Support and defend the Constitution. We should stay informed of the issues affecting your community. We as citizens should take part in the democratic process. Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws by all citizens. Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others. We should also participate in our local communities. Pay income and other taxes honestly, and on time, to federal, state, and local authorities. We should all serve on a jury when called upon. Also defend the country if the need should arise.” Department of Homeland Security Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities. (2017, July
America: land of the free and home of the brave. For generations children have been raised from a young age to value these morals that the United States stands for. American values have long been seen as the ray of hope for millions of people around the globe. Immigrants from every imaginable culture flood to the United States each year, possessing only the tattered dreams of a better life. But do we truly live up to this grand title we have claimed for hundreds of years? Instead of offering freedom to all who seek it, we now cower behind false stereotypes and grant it only to those luck few who we deem worthy. While unrestricted immigration into the United States is not probable, the proposed extensive immigration policies that target specific races or religions are violations of human rights
As people, we all have certain inalienable and universal rights that cannot be taken away from us by anyone, especially by our government. Our rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that we’re all born free and equal; that there must be no
The United States would not have the great democracy that it has without the rights and privileges that the American citizens have. Most of our rights come from the constitution, the rights such as freedom of speech and protection from the government doing unlawful searches and seizure of personal properties. Since citizen have many rights here, we also have responsibilities as citizens. Some of our responsibilities as an American citizen is paying taxes and obeying the laws, which is mandatory. Other responsibilities you don’t have to do but it is better for our country when people chose to do it, these things are voting and staying informed on what’s going on in our country. Our concept of citizenship originated from the Magna Carta, Second Treatise on Government, and the English Bill of Rights.