1. The Meaning of Citizenship
Chapter 3

2. What is a Citizen?
A CITIZEN is a person with certain rights and duties under a government.
We each have certain rights and duties.
Have a right to express an opinion
Right to protection under the law
Duty to obey the law
Duty to pay taxes

3. Who is a Citizen? The Constitution says it is
“A person who by birth or choice owes allegiance to
the United States”.

4. You are a Legal American Citizen if
You were born in the US or in one of it’s territories. (Even if your parents aren’t citizens, unless they are representatives from a foreign country.)
One of your parents was a US citizen - (it doesn’t matter where you were born)
You were less than 18 when your parents were naturalized.
You have been NATURALIZED

5. A Naturalized Citizen
Has gone through the process of becoming a citizen.
This process includes:
learning English
studying American History
Learning the values, laws, rights and duties of Citizen

6. Rights of Naturalized Citizens
All the rights of citizens by birth BUT they can’t be PRESIDENT

7. Can citizenship be taken away?
Once a citizen, always a citizen – except in two cases.
You can choose to give up citizenship to become a citizen in another country.
Citizenship can be taken away for trying to overthrow the government by force.

8. What is an Alien?
An ALIEN is a citizen of one country who lives in another.
Today we refer to someone living in the United States from another country as an “Undocumented Worker” or an “Undocumented Immigrant”.

9. Office of Citizen
What does it mean to say there is an “Office of Citizen”?
Each citizen holds a position of authority.
Our government can operate – make laws, build roads, collect taxes, sign treaties – only if citizens want it to.

10. Consent of the Governed
The power of the government is based on THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED.
Citizens have the power to decide what the government will and will not do.

11. REPRESENTATIVES
People who are chosen to speak and act for their fellow citizens in government.
(Congress, Representatives, President, City Council)

12. Office of the Citizen
We delegate or lend our power to them. The real power belongs to us.
As citizens, we can vote a person out of office. It is because of this, that each citizen holds an office – “the OFFICE OF THE CITIZEN”.

13. Abe Lincoln
Ours is a government, of the people, by the people and for the people.