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Explain what it means to be an American
Ideas about what it means to be an American
What being an American means to me
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Working hard and making a living for yourself is one of the many ideals and beliefs that play a huge role in what it means to be an American citizen. People around the world want to migrate to America because, the idea that you are free to strive and work to become successful without a strict government like in other places around the world such as, China and Russia where the government has very strict laws and rule. With the reason being able to come to America and having success or a new life is very appealing to people currently living in an oppressed place congress has placed certain requirements to become a citizen called naturalization. Naturalization has been defined by the Supreme Court as “the act of adopting a foreigner, …show more content…
“The process of naturalization culminates in the taking in open court of an oath “(1) to support the Constitution of the United States; (2) to renounce and abjure absolutely and entirely all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which the petitioner was before a subject or citizen; (3) to support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; (4) to bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and (5) (A) to bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law, or (B) to perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law, or (C) to perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by law. “(Justia) These are basic laws that any natural U.s citizen would abide by so with that being stated it would be very important that any foreigner trying to obtain U.S citizenship should be familiar and abide by the laws the same. It is very imperative for foreigners trying to become familiar with the process of becoming a citizen, if failed to do so the foreigners may find themselves prohibited of becoming a
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
Cave, Damien. "What Does It Mean to Be American?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 2014. Web. 04 Sept. 2016.
For many Mexican immigrants, crossing the border into the land of freedom and the American dream is no easy task. Some immigrants come over illegally by means of hiding in cars to cross borders, using visitor visas to stay longer, marrying to become citizens, and having babies as ‘anchors’ to grant automatic citizenship. Other immigrants gain green cards and work visas and work their way into becoming US citizens legally and subsequently gaining citizenship through paperwork for their families back home. After escaping harsh living and working conditions in Mexico, immigrants come to America prepared to gain education, opportunity, and work. This American dream unfortunately does not come to pass for most.
What does it mean to be an American? To me, what it means to be American is to Pledge Allegiance to your country, to proudly boast that you live in a country that has a justification for existence, to be given opportunity. Although there are many definitions of what it means to be an American, does being an American really just mean being successful in society? The point of this essay is to describe the different meanings and my feelings of what it is to be “American”.
boss, and make a basic but good living from their own work, instead of having nothing to show for a lifetime of hard work. America was first populated by people who came from nearly every country in the world. believing that they could escape and find their dreams in the new country where they believed there was no persecution or hatred.
The United State’s immigration policy has undergone great change since the turn of the 20th century. Many things have contributed to this change, such as political problems, poverty, lack of jobs, and in fact our changing policy. The countries affected by these problems may have changed but the problems themselves have not. No matter what the location or time period, people have been driven from their homeland as result of political disputes. There will always be poor, 3rd world countries that can not create a prosperous environment for their people. As a result of general poverty, few jobs are available, which forces citizens to look beyond the borders for work. Our changing immigration policy is motivation for some immigrants to come to America. If the U.S. is accepting a high number of one country’s immigrants, than many of their citizens will emigrate for America, some legally and others illegally. The United State’s has changed its immigration policy many times in the last 100 years but the reasons for resettlement have remained generally the same.
After the Civil War, the United States faced the difficult task of reconstructing a country damaged physically, socially, and politically. Why was it difficult? Reconstruction – the process by which seceded states were to re-enter back into the Union – was difficult because of the differences between the Radical Republicans in Congress and Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson’s ideas on how to approach Reconstruction. The definitive goal of Reconstruction was to give former slaves the same rights as whites and to reunite the Union as effectively as possible, but the disagreement as how best this had to be done was what made Reconstruction neither a success, nor a failure, but something in between.
The ideal of American citizenship was not only if you were legal in America, but the ideal that you have the values and rights of a citizen. Unregulated capitalism and the ultimate change in government regulations in big business led to a change in the ideal of citizenship. With the start of big business in America the theory of unregulated capitalism was tested for the first time. In this paper I will discuss the ideal of what a citizen was before the great depression with unregulated capitalism, and the changing from no regulations to some, and the after effect this had.
The process for Citizenship or Naturalization can be very short or very long it just depends on your status. There is a slight difference between naturalization and citizenship they both serve proof as U.S citizenship but the eligibility requirements differ. A Certificate of Citizenship is available to people who were born abroad and automatically acquired or derived U.S. citizenship through birth to or adoption by a U.S. citizen parent or parents (whether U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization), while a Certificate of Naturalization is given to a lawful permanent resident after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).So if you plan on applying for Permanent residence you need
Do you know what your responsibility to America is? Can you believe that some people don't know they have responsibility as a citizen. As an American citizen, you have many responsibilities. Some of the responsibilities are more complicated than others. Responsibility can be very stressful but it can also be fun under certain circumstances.
People in the United States of America take advantage of countless things and one of those most important one is “work.” Americans don’t appreciate jobs/work like individuals who come to the United States illegally. Those individuals who come illegally to the U.S. almost come for the same reason and that to work. Those living here without being documented are Hispanic, frequently Mexican. When one thinks about America the first thing that comes to mind is “the land of the free.”
This program will make sure that all Immigrants are fully prepared to become U.S. citizens. Immigrants will need to pass a physical, which includes a drug test. They will need a background check, which will clear their name of any crimes committed. They will also need to learn the English language. The first step for Immigrants to become U.S. citizens of the United States is to pass a physical, which includes a drug test.
As an immigration attorney in the Fort Worth, TX area, I can tell you that there is nothing more satisfying for an immigrant to the United States than going through the process of naturalization and finally becoming a U.S. citizen. Though the road to citizenship can be long and difficult, the end result is worth the effort. If you are nearing the end of your journey to U.S. citizenship and your application for naturalization has been approved and you have passed your citizenship interview, you should know that there is one very important step that must be taken before you can legally become a U.S. citizen - taking the Oath of Allegiance to the United States at a naturalization ceremony. Here are some questions I am often asked as an immigration
Determined to join the American lifestyle thousands of immigrants have journeyed to this great land to have a life based upon “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This country’s backbone is immigration and it started when this
If one is a citizen of the United States of America, there are duties and mandatory responsibilities that need to be fulfilled. To become a citizen there are many steps that need to be taken. In order to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, one needs to get a green card, sustain physical presence, complete forms, get fingerprinted, be interviewed by many people, take a test and