Unit 1: Foundations of American Citizenship
Section 1
 Ancient Roots:
 Civics
 The study of the rights and duties of citizens.
 Citizenship
 Dates back more than 2,500 years to ancient Greece and
Rome.
 In those days very few people were citizens. Why?
 Only men with property possessed the right to vote and to take
part in government.
 Today gender and wealth are no longer requirements for
citizenship.
 What does it mean to be a citizen?
 American citizens who live abroad are still citizens of
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the U.S.
Citizens are a part of the country.
They may share a common history, common customs, or
common beliefs.
They agree to follow a set of rules and to accept the
government’s authority.
As a citizen, what do you agree to do?
 American society has undergone many changes in the
past, and these changes continue today.
 More than 300 million people live in the United States
today.
 All of us are descendants from families that immigrated
at one time or another.
 Until the mid- 1900s , most immigrants came from
Europe.
 The first groups came from Spain during the 1500s.
 Beginning in the 1600s, people from France and
England came to North America.
 The French settled in Canada and the English settled
mainly on the East Coast (13 Colonies).
 During the late 1600s and 1700s, immigrants from
Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, and
Sweden joined the English settlers.
 The number of immigrants rapidly grew after
American Independence.
 Immigration grew to 600,000 in the 1830s to more than
2 million by the 1850s.
 Between 1860 and 1890, more than 10 million Europeans
streamed into the country. (Northeastern European)
 From 1890 to 1924, 22 million more immigrants came to
America.
 Most of these immigrants came from southern and eastern
Europe. (Italians, Greeks, Poles, and Russians.)
 During the past 50 years, immigrations from Europe to
the U.S. has fallen off.
 Latin America now accounts for the largest share of
foreign newcomers, followed by Asia.
 Enslaved Africans Between 1619 and 1808 more than 500,000 African slaves
were brought to the United States.
 Most African Americans today are descendents of
enslaved persons.
 The American population is extraordinarily diverse in
terms of ethnic, or racial, backgrounds.
 The breakdown of the American population:
 234 million are white of European descent.
 37 million are African American.
 Over 12 million are Asian or Pacific Islanders.
 2.8 million are Native American.
 Over 39 million are Latinos.
 Over the years, America’s population has drastically
changed.
 The places where Americans lived has also changed.
 In the mid-1800s people began moving from rural areas
to cities.
 The higher wages paid in the cities attracted workers.
 Blue-collar workers Those who work in factories .
 White-collar workers Those who work in offices, schools, stores, and other nonfactory
jobs.
 By 1920 more than half of all Americans lived in towns
or cities.
 In the past few decades, manufacturing has lost
ground to what we call the “service economy.”
 People who earn a living by performing services such as
practicing law or medicine, teaching, or programming
computers.
 What are values?
 The general principles, or beliefs, you use to make these
judgments are your values.
 Values are broad ideas about what is good or desirable,
and are shared by people in a society.
 Basic American Values:
 Freedom, equality, opportunity, justice, democracy, and
respect.
 Popular sovereignty Means government by consent of the governed.
 This is done through:
 Fair, free, and regular elections.
 Equal justice under the law.
 Majority rule through the people’s representatives in
government.
 Language English is the primary means of communication in
education, government, and business.
 Institutions:
 Family is the most important social institution.
 It is the core of social life.
 It produces new generations, socializes the young, offers care
and affection, and provides economic support.
 Religious institutions
 Educational Institutions
 Social Institutions
 Governmental Institutions
Section 2
 Two ways to gain citizenship:
 1. Birth
 2. Naturalization The legal process to become a citizen.
 Citizenship by Birth:
 If you are born in any state or the District of Columbia,
you are automatically become an American citizen.
 This is also applies to those born in any American
territory (Puerto Rico or Guam) or any U.S. military
bases over seas.
 A person can claim American citizenship if their
parents are both citizens or if one is a citizen who has
lived in the U.S.
 Children born on American soil to non-U.S. citizens
acquire U.S. citizenship.
 Americans may also hold dual citizenship.
 Aliens Noncitizens that live in the U.S.
 They come here to work, study, or to visit relatives.
 They remain citizens in their own country and
eventually return home.
 Immigrants People who move to the U.S. permanently.
 Step 1: Aliens who want to become U.S. citizens must first
sign a statement saying that want to become a citizen.
 The Declaration of Intention is then filed with the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
 Step 2: the alien must live in the U.S. for at least five years
(Aliens who marry citizens only have to wait three years).
 During this time many aliens take courses to prepare for
citizenship.
 Step 3: If the alien is 18 and has lived in for at least 3
months in the state where they seek naturalization, they
may file an application for citizenship.
 After the paper work is checked, the alien has an
interview with a USCIS official.
 The alien then must take a citizenship exam that
consists of questions about reading, writing, and
speaking English.
 The exam also contains basic facts about the history
and government of the United States.
 After the exam, the USCIS makes its decision.
 The final step in naturalization.
 It is a ceremony and pledging an oath of allegiance.
 The alien swears to:
 Be loyal to the country above all others.
 Obey the Constitution and other laws.
 Perform military or other duties if needed.
 Then the person signs a document and is declared a
citizen of the U.S.
 If he or she has children under the age of 18 they
automatically become citizens.
 Regardless of how you become a citizen, American
citizenship is for life.
 Only the federal government can give or take away
citizenship.
 Three ways the federal government can take away
citizenship:
 1. Denaturalization
 2. Expatriation
 3. Punishment for crimes
 Denaturalization The loss of citizenship through fraud or deception during the
naturalization process.
 Expatriation The easiest way to lose citizenship.
 Expatriation is giving up one’s citizenship by leaving one’s
native country to live in a foreign country.
 Can be voluntary or involuntary.
 Punishment for crimes A person may lose citizenship when convicted of certain
federal crimes that involve extreme disloyalty.
 Treason, participation in a rebellion, and attempting to overthrow
the government.
 Only 675,000 immigrants are allowed to enter the
country each year.
 Traditionally relatives of U.S. citizens and people with
needed job skills received the highest priority or first
consideration.
 Immigration Act of 1990
 Benefits people with particular skills, talents, or the
money to invest in our economy.
 Despite immigration limits, approximately 12 million
aliens are living in the U.S. illegally.
 Illegal aliens enter the country several ways:
 Some enter the country as temporary visitors and never
leave.
 Some risk arrest and cross the boarders illegally.
(Canadian and Mexican)
 Others are foreigners who stay in the U.S. even after
their permits expire.
 It is illegal to hire illegal aliens. Aliens who do find
work are often under paid and work long hours.
 Everyday illegal aliens fear deportation.
 The U.S. Border Patrol Law enforcement unit of the USCIS.
 The Border Patrol guards the 6,000 miles of Mexican
and Canadian international land borders and 2,000
miles of coastal waters surrounding Florida and the
island of Puerto Rico.
 Legal Aliens are classified in different categories.
 Resident Alien A person from a foreign country who has established
permanent residence in the U.S.
 They can stay in the country as long as they want without
becoming a citizen.
 Nonresident Alien A person from a foreign country who expects to stay in the
U.S. for a short, specified period.
 Refugees People fleeing their country to escape persecution.
 Aliens who enter the country legally live life like
normal Americans.
 They own property, have businesses, and attend public
schools.
 They pay taxes and are entitled to legal protection.
 Aliens do not have full political rights.
 They can not vote in elections or run for political office.
 They can not serve on juries or work in most
government jobs.
 They also must carry identification cards with them at
all times.
Section 3
 A government is the ruling authority for a community
or society.
 Any organization that has the power to make and
enforce or carry out laws and decisions for its members
acts as a government.
 Most important purpose of a government is to provide
laws or rules of conduct.
 These laws help prevent conflicts between individuals,
groups, or nations.
 Keep Order:
 Governments make laws to help prevent conflicts and to
settle those conflicts that do arise.
 Governments have the power to enforce the laws.
 Provide Security:
 Government defends citizens and their land from
enemies.
 This is the reason why the government set up armed
forces and agencies to watch for likely sources of trouble.
 Provide Public Service:
 Government provides libraries, schools, hospitals, parks,
water, and utilities.
 Many government services are aimed at keeping the
public healthy and safe.
 Guide the Community:
 Public policy- a course of government action to achieve
community goals
 Most public policy decisions involve financial planning.
 Creating a budget is key to the success of the community.
 National Government:
 Made up of three branches:
 The legislative, The Executive, and The Judiciary
 The national government is different from other levels of
government in two ways:
 1. A national government has the highest level of authority
over its citizens.
 A city or state government can not make any laws that would go
against the laws of the national government.
 2. A national government provides the basic framework for
citizenship.
 While the national government make laws for the
entire country, state governments decides matters for
the people in that state.
 The level of government closest to Americans is local
government.
 Local governments include counties, cities, and towns.
 Democratic Government:
 Direct democracy All the citizens met to debate government matters and vote
firsthand.
 Direct democracy is not practical for most countries today.
 What is a Republic?
 Many countries have a representative democracy.
 The citizens choose a smaller group to represent them, make
laws, and govern on their behalf.
 Republic:
 A system of limited government in which the people are the
ultimate source of governmental power.
 The U.S. is the oldest representative democracy in the world.
 Constitutional Monarchy:
 The monarchs are heads of state only, presiding at ceremonies
and serving as symbols of unity.
 Great Britain and Japan are two widely known examples of a
constitutional monarchy.
 Democratic Principles:
 Voting and Democracy All genuine democracies have free, fair, and competitive elections.
 Everyone’s vote must carry the same weight.
 All candidates have the right to express themselves freely to the
public.
 The requirements for voting must be kept at a minimum.
 Voting must be done freely and in secret to keep people feeling safe.
 Voters Have Choice Voters have a choice in which political party they want
to vote for.
 Political parties compete with each other for those votes.
 Majority Rule Citizens agree that when differences of opinion arise,
they will abide by what most people want.
 At the same time, the majority must respect the rights of
those in the minority.
 In authoritarian regimes, power is held by an individual or
group not accountable to the people.
 Absolute Monarchy Power is technically unrestricted.
 Said to be chosen by God.
 King or Queen
 Very rare in the world today.
 Dictatorships Like monarchs, dictators have complete control over a country.
 Usually take power through force.
 To stay in power, most dictators rely on police and military.
 Often tamper with elections or refuse to have them.
 They limit the freedom of speech, assembly, and the press.
 Totalitarianism In a totalitarian state, the government’s control extends to
almost all aspects of people’s lives.
 They ban political opposition.
 They regulate farms and business in what they produce.
 They control the media and use propaganda, scare tactics,
and violence.