Advantages Of Being An American Citizen

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Walter Berns, an American political philosopher, said, “Citizenship is a sense of belonging to a community for which one bears some responsibility. In a word, citizenship implies public-spiritedness, which is akin to patriotism, and has to be cultivated.” Good quote There are reasons for wanting to be an American citizen; the promise of near-absolute freedom is appealing to most people, and the “American Dream” is a concept heard ‘round the world. What does this sentence mean? It is weird wording and vague But no good thing comes without its consequences, and no freedoms come without drawbacks. Additionally, such benefits require some work in being obtained. While being an American citizen comes with benefits and freedoms many countries do …show more content…

Foreigners attempting to immigrate into the United States must submit an application and undergo questioning about their background, take and pass tests in English and civics, and even once initial citizenship is established, they must remain within the United States for 30 months, making it impossible to visit family or homelands. There are other challenges, however, that even individuals born and raised on US soil must face. One issue commonly seen today is the interpretation of freedom of speech, and what that rule may or may not encompass. As seen in the National Anthem protests of the NFL, as well as the protests of those protests, Americans can and will utilize their right to protest granted in the First Amendment. This example doesn’t pertain to the question. How is this a challenge to citizenship? Some people, however, view this act of kneeling during the National Anthem as disrespect toward the Anthem, the flag, and the country for which they stand. In this situation, the line between free speech and civil treason is highly debated, causing insurmountable …show more content…

Wade in 1973. Jane Roe, Texas resident, looked to the court to grant the right to an abortion, which was outlawed at the time. Be very careful with this example. Hot button issues can be very tricky to discuss. Roe’s appeal was found to be problem under the Fourteenth Amendment, and her case changed 46 states’ laws regarding abortion. Despite this and other great leaps, there are still disadvantages to citizenship as well. Many countries around the world provide free healthcare to citizens, generally funded through taxes. In the United States, however, there is no government-issued, universally-distributed free healthcare. While there are private insurance companies, as well as government programs such as the Affordable Care Act, which may provide some assistance, millions of Americans are left with little to no financial help when it comes to medical

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