Citizenship in America is important because no matter where you come from, you will be accepted. America is a country filled with hundreds of heritages that form its unique and colorful background. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, birthright citizenship grants citizenship to every person born in the United States (Rawlins). While this seems to be in-line with the 14th amendment, which 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 State wherein they reside” (Congress), the true intention of this part of the constitution is hotly debated, particularly in light of the current economic downfall in the United States. Automatic birthright …show more content…
Disposing birthright citizenship would decrease the incentive to come and bring spouses and other family members with them. It could save on health care and social services. Instead of governmental funds going toward mothers, especially those here illegally, who give birth to gain citizenship for their children, and the money could be saved as fewer immigrants would want to come to the country for this reason. The child gaining citizenship, in addition; qualifies for social programs, even if they live outside the borders (Smith). It preserves the country’s culture by limiting citizenship to those who have a history in the United States and increasing the amount of people who need to take a test in order to become nationalized, the history, values, and culture would be better preserved (LA Times). The cons it will hurt the diversity by ending birthright citizenship would discourage immigration, which brings diversity of other countries. Having individuals from different backgrounds; encourages unique perspectives and helps develop the discussion. The 14th Amendment provides citizenship at birth, meaning an amendment would be needed to ratify the birthright citizenship legislation. Typically, the process of adding to the Constitution is slow, taking years to complete, and it is expensive. The most recent addition to the Constitution was the 27th Amendment on May 7, 1992, which makes raises for Congress go into effect after the next election. This was originally an issue debated during the proposal of the Bill of Rights, according to The United State House of Representatives History. It may cause confusion. In cases where only one parent is a citizen, the father is unknown, or adopted children arise, the result could lead to confusion, court cases, and the opening of Pandora’s
This week I enjoyed reading Lauren Berlant’s reading, “Citizenship” and one section that stood out to me what on the U.S. Naturalization Act of 1790. This section of her article made me think about/understand through different ways the role that immigrants have had in the U.S. For instance, Berlant points out that the U.S. Naturalization Act of 1790 essentially excluded some groups of immigrants from become citizens because the requirements were freedom and whiteness. Therefore, African slaves did not have the chance of becoming citizens because they could not sell their own labor and they were not white. In addition, other immigrants who could sell their labor, but if they were not white, they could not have full rights of citizenship (e.g.
The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868 and stated that “all persons born…in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.” The Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark first recognized the doctrine of birthright citizenship. In this case, the defendant argued that because he was a citizen of the U.S. because he was born in California and had lived there for twenty-one years. The U.S. District Attorney argued that while Wong Kim Ark may have been born into the U.S., he was not subject to its jurisdiction since Worn Kim Ark, through his Chinese parents, were subject to the emperor of China. Not persuaded by this argument, the U.S. Supreme Court held that children born in the U.S. to resident aliens are U.S. citizens, which created the concept of automatic birthright citizenship. This concept has been debated within the U.S. Supreme Court and in different levels of the judiciary system, but to this date there is no comprehensive approach on solving the ambiguity of what constitutes a ‘natural-born’
This amendment was created during the reconstruction phase attempting to reunite this country after the brutal battles of the Civil War. Henretta and Brody emphasize how the Republicans were progressing in a direction to sanctify the civil rights of the black community. These authors contend the vital organ of the document was the wording in the first section. It said “all persons born or naturalized in the United States were citizens.” No state could abridge “the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States”; deprive “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”; or deny anyone “the equal protection of the laws.”2 Imagine the problems that could arise in the country if repeal were to come to a realization. Henretta and Brody point out how the wording in section 1 of the document was written in a way that could be construed as inexplicit. The reason for this was for the judicial system and Congress could set an example for balance in due process here in the
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of United States addressed the issues related to citizenship of the country and their fundamental rights for equality. This amendment is regarded as one of the most significant clauses in the US constitution since it provides the definition for citizenship, deals with the rights of the US citizens, and defines the state’s obligations to protect the rights of its citizens. This amendment was passed in the year 1866 by the Congress following the Civil War. The primary goal of this amendment was to provide equal civil and legal rights to all US citizens, including the African Americans. The citizenship clause in this amendment attracted lot of attention and debates owing to its far-reaching impacts on the citizenship status of various communities and immigrants who are staying in the country. This amendment was an important part of the reconstruction program (NALEO, 1).
The Naturalization Act of 1790 was the first piece of United States federal legislation regarding immigration and it provided a national and uniformed rule for the process of naturalization. Under provisions of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, it granted citizenship to “all free white persons” after two years residence and provided that the children of citizens born outside the borders of the United States would be “considered as natural born citizens” (Naturalization Acts, United States, 1790-1795). This was an important piece of legislation that encouraged immigration necessary for the continued growth and prosperity of the republic. The individuals that it was intended to attract and protect were European whites, specifically men who would bring skills and participate in the emerging manufacturing and mining labor
The fourteenth amendment defined a citizen as being anyone who was born within the United States. The negative elements of the fourteenth amendment are twofold; First, it only established voting rights for men; and secondly, the way the fourteenth amendment was used by the northern states against the southern states. By doing so the fourteenth amendment disallowed women the right to vote. By in large, the fourteenth amendment virtually denied the right to vote to almost all southern white
The United States of America has the largest foreign-born population in the world. With nearly thirteen percent of the total population being foreign-born, one may find it hard to imagine an immigrant-free country (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration has been an integral part of the United States’ overall success and the country’s economy since it was established and without it, would have never been founded at all. Although there are some negative issues associated with immigration and many native-born Americans believe to be more of a problem than a solution, overall it actually has a positive effect. Immigrants in America, among other things, fill jobs where native-born Americans may not want to work or cannot work, they contribute to Social Services and Medicaid through taxes and they help provide the backbone of America, especially by working jobs that natives may have not even considered.
In America, there are many considerable companies created by immigrants during the height of immigration. During the early 1900s, the American Dream was in full swing and patriotism was found amongst most Americans. During this time, Americans had a sense of vivaciousness when talking about America and the economy. With the roaring 20s and significant economic growth in the 1910s, many non-natives flocked to America in search of a better life. However, as time went on and America’s economy started to adjust, the American Dream and patriotism of indigenous Americans also evolved. Bogged down with the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1930s, second and third generation Americans fell out of love with America. Immigrants kept hope though,
The steps to becoming a Canadian citizen are comprised of several components. The fact of the matter is that citizenship does not end when an individual obtains the documents that enable them to participate within civic duties and responsibilities. Based on the evidence of expert T.H. Marshall, within his academic essay entitled “Citizenship and Social Class”, the formation of social citizenship “promised greater economic equality, improvements in social welfare, services and education, and the opportunity for individuals to "share to the full in the social heritage and … live the life of a civilized being according to the standards prevailing in the society” (Marshall 1964). Social citizenship is also attributed as the basis of all forms of citizenship, yet is often debated whether it is currently possible and exercised by those of who it would benefit. According to the principles of T.H. Marshall’s literary work, social citizenship is active, as demonstrated through: the four core aspects citizenship, the basis of social policy, and the resulting actions taken by governing bodies.
A Path to Citizenship “What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone from anywhere can write the next chapter of our story.” - President Barack Obama. The United States is the melting pot of the world. The great American country was built on immigration. Look around, so many people have ancestors that risked everything to come to the United States to make something of their lives, and the lives of their children.
Immigrants were first welcomed in the late 1700s. European explorers like Walter Raleigh, Lord Baltimore, Roger William, William Penn, Francis Drake, John Smith, and others explored to the New World for religious purposes and industrial growth. The first European settlers that settled in the late 1700s were the Pilgrims. After the Pilgrims first settled in Virginia, the expansion of immigrants started. Then in 1860 to 1915, America was growing with its industries, technology, and education. America’s growing empire attracted many people from Europe. The factors that attracted many people to the American cities where job opportunities with higher income, better education, and factory production growth. As the population grew in the American
We don’t realize how hard it is for immigrant parents to get their children education, and we judge and hate on something we have never been through. I guess it’s true you never know someone’s pain unless you go through it. Not everyone has the same privileges as others, some have to work twice as hard to try to give their children an opportunity towards an education on the contrary some American families have it simpler. I not blaming people who have families who were born here or say it’s wrong, but many people tend to affront children of immigrant parents and feel like they have the equitableness to say they aren’t suitable to receive public education.
For centuries, migrating has been a life changing decision for people that choose to enter the United States in search of a better future. Therefore, immigration is the permanent residency of people that choose to move to a new country. There are debates concerning the immigrants who enter the United Stated illegally and as the daughter of immigrant parents, I am fortunate to be born in this country.
Birthright citizenship is the law that anybody born on American soil is automatically a natural-born citizen with rights and privileges regardless of the citizenship status of the parents. To some this is an issue known as immigrants making “anchor babies.” An anchor baby is an offspring of an illegal immigrant, who under legal interpretation becomes a United States citizen. Some republican politicians aim to change the 14th Amendment that grants citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” The interpretation of this amendment has caused many controversies but overall, birthright citizenship should remain
Will and in this essay the author challenges the citizenship status of children born to illegal immigrants. Will argues that the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to any person born in the United States, is being misinterpreted. He explains how this misinterpretation leads to the actual act of illegal immigration. For example, by essentially rewarding the children of illegal immigrants with an American citizenship Will demonstrates how this provides an incentive for illegal immigration. The author makes clear the idea that when the 14th Amendment was written in 1866 it could not have included illegal immigrants since that concept did not exist at that time. He continues by using Indians as an example of people not included in the 14th Amendment since Indians and their children owed allegiance to their tribes. Finally, the author uses a decision by the Supreme Court in 1884 that declared both person and country must consent to the citizenship; therefore, if the source is illegal then the child should not be considered a