DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Marion County Teacher-Created DBQ
Defining Citizenship:
Should citizenship be
earned?
MINI-Q LESSON PLAN
Note: Time required to do a Mini-Q varies greatly with
skill level, grade, and DBQ experience.
1 DAY: 90
Minutes
Step One: Hook Refer to Step One teacher notes in
the Mini-Q. Read the directions aloud. The purpose
of the Hook is to activate prior knowledge and build
engagement before reading the Background Essay.
Step Two: Background Essay Refer to Step Two
teacher notes in the Mini-Q. The purpose of the
Background Essay is to set context. Students should
leave the Background Essay with a sense of time,
place, and story.
Step Three: Understanding the Question and PreBucketing The Key to students’ understanding of
the question involves clarification of key terms,
words, or phrases within the question. Pre-Bucketing
is a predictive step to clarify the task framed by the
question. Students should leave this step
understanding what the question is requiring them
to do.
2 DAYS: 90
minutes each
Step Four: Document Analysis Model document
analysis with the class. Have students mark-up and
discuss the documents, and then complete a
document analysis sheet for each document. Select
a student group to debrief each document in front of
the class.
1 DAY: 90
minutes
Step Five: Bucketing, Chickenfoot, and Thrashout
First, have students sort the documents into
buckets, and create labels for each bucket. Second,
model thesis development using the Chickenfoot.
Third, conduct a Thrashout either in small groups or
as a whole class.
1 DAY: 90
minutes
Step Six: Essay Writing Conduct a writing
workshop. First, review the elements of a proficient
essay. As part of this review, rainbow edit the
sample higher proficiency essay in the EV version.
Second, consider using the Essay Outline Guide
Sheet or the Guided Essay (in Toolkit). Third, have
students write the essay. They may use any of the
writing supports including their Document Analysis
Sheets, Document Analysis Questions, Chickentfoot,
Outline Guide Sheet, or the Guided Essay.
TEACHER DOCUMENT LIST (EV)
There are seven documents in this Mini-Q. Students
are provided with the same document list, but it is
not divided into analytical categories or buckets.
Students may develop buckets that are different
from these.
Context (this is not necessarily a bucket but will
help support the context of the DBQ)
Document A: Excerpt from The 14th
Amendment (text)
Document B: Naturalization requirements
(text)
Category 2 – Defining ‘Who is American?’
Document C: Quotes - Excerpts from
Republican Party Platforms and Leaders
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Document D: Political cartoons - 14th
Amendment and Anchor babies
Document E: Article - “Birthright Citizenship
Looms as Next Immigration Battle”
clarifications. Additional items may include, but are not
limited
to, the following:
alien, immigrant, law of blood, law of soil, and resident.
Category 3 – Supporters of Birthright Citizenship
Document F: Article - Excerpts from
“Repealing Birthright Citizenship Would Be Unfair”
Illegal Immigration: Opposing
Viewpoints, by Frank H. Wu, page 59.
Defining Citizenship:
SHOULD CITIZENSHIP BE
EARNED?
Document G: Article - Excerpt from “New
Nativism: Anti-Immigration Politics and the
Fourteenth Amendment” by
Eric Ward
Note: There must be at least three categories/buckets as these are
what help set up the body paragraphs of the essay. Students will not
necessarily have to have three or more buckets but the teacher has
the option depending on the students in his/her classroom. There
does not need to be multiple documents per category but the
documents must be in equal support of each side of the question.
NEXT GENERATION AND COMMON CORE
STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS DBQ:
BENCHMARK SS.7.C.2.1
Strand
Government
Reporting Category
Responsibilities of Citizens
C
Civics and
Roles, Rights, and
Standard
Evaluate the
roles, rights, and responsibilities of U.S. citizens,
and determine
methods of active participation in society,
government, and
the political system.
Benchmark
SS.7.C.2.1
Define the term
“citizen,” and identify legal means of becoming
a U.S. citizen.
Content Focus
These terms are
given in addition to those found in the standards,
benchmarks,
and benchmark
http://www.cagle.com/news/path-to-citi
Figure
1
Overview: Who should be or become an American
citizen? In a day and age when America is increasingly
culturally more diverse and struggling with many
foreigners entering the country there is less agreement
on this question. Although the 14th Amendment defined a
citizen as a person born or naturalized in America it does
not clarify any if there are any limits to “born” in America
or what criteria should a person meet to become
“naturalized”? Some today even believe that the time for
birthright citizenship has come to an end. This DBQ will
explore some of these questions and the conflicts that
result from each viewpoint.
Documents:
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Document A: Excerpt from the 14th Amendment
(text)
Document B: Naturalization requirements (text)
Document C: Quotes - Excerpts from Republican
Party Platforms and Leaders (text)
Document D: Political cartoons - 14th
Amendment and Anchor babies (graphics)
Document E: Article - “Birthright Citizenship
Looms as Next Immigration Battle” (text)
Document F: Article - Excerpts from “Repealing
Birthright Citizenship Would Be Unfair”
Illegal Immigration: Opposing
Viewpoints, by Frank H. Wu, page 59. (text)
Document G: Article - Excerpt from “New
Nativism: Anti-Immigration Politics and the
Fourteenth Amendment” by Eric
Ward (text)
STEP ONE: THE HOOK
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Teacher Note: The purpose of the Hook Exercise is to
create some initial interest in understanding citizenship
as permanent membership or belonging in a group.
Student answers will vary but the important thing to
remember is to elicit their reasoning:
What if you could choose the members of your family?
Which criteria would you choose- if you could choose
only one - and why?
Hook Question:
“Choose one of the below criteria by checking it ().
Reasons why you chose this characteristic”
_____ a) Someone related by blood
_____ b) The smartest kid at school
_____ c) The most popular kid at school
_____ d) Someone with a similar ethnic background
Optional: Have students group up with others who chose
the same criteria (a, b, c, or d). They should justify and
then compare/contrast their reasons for their choices.
Responses/Discussion:
Student responses might emphasize personal abilities
that can contribute to the family, reputation, or ability to
get along or “fit-in” with the current members of the
family. They will be tempted to choose more than one
characteristic but the goal is determine how they would
choose some qualities as being more desirable than
others and why. Some might even respond that a person
should not even have to make a choice but to accept
whoever enters the family (like a newborn brother or
sister).
Making Connections:
Ask if the same would be true when thinking, not of
family, but of fellow citizens in a country. How is the
choice similar or different in this scenario?
Discuss: what if different people had different criteria?
How would you settle this disagreement?
Who might be excluded from citizenship or membership
in a country? Can they agree on this easier than those
who should be included?
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?

1 - How is membership in a family similar or
different to membership in a country
(citizenship)?

2 – Did you agree or disagree with the opinions of
others? How might you find agreement?

3 – Is it easier to agree on who might be excluded
(leave out) than those who you would
include?

4 – Under what circumstances might your
decision be different?
(for example, would your opinion change if
you already had a large family, or, in the case of
a country’s citizens, if your nation was
heavily populated?)
STEP ONE: THE HOOK – Choosing who
belongs!
What if you could choose the members of your
family? Which criteria would you choose- if you
could choose only one - and why?
Choose one of the below criteria by checking it ().
Reasons why you chose this characteristic
_____ a) Someone related by blood
________________________________________
_
________________________________________
_
_____ b) The smartest kid at school
________________________________________
_
________________________________________
_
_____ c) The most popular kid at school
________________________________________
_
________________________________________
_
_____ d) Someone with a similar ethnic background
________________________________________
_
Making Connections:
Optional - Group up with others who chose the same
category/criteria (a, b, c or d).
Were your reasons the same or different?
Explain.
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________
Discussion Questions or Historical Notes to drop into the
discussion:
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Background Essay
Dred Scott was slave whose master traveled to
live in a northern state where slavery was illegal. Upon
returning to a southern slave state, Dred Scott filed a
legal suit against his owner claiming that his living in a
“free state” made him a free man and a citizen of the
U.S.! In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court – gave its infamous
Dred Scott decision - that Dred Scott was merely the
“property” of his owners and could not be a
citizen. Why? The decision said it was because
he was a descendant of Africans. In fact, this
decision made all blacks in America – free or
slave – non-citizens. If they are not citizens and
they are not slaves, then what are they? The
Constitution had never defined what or who is
a citizen up to this point. With the end of the
Civil War and the abolition (end) of slavery in
the 13th amendment to the Constitution, the
nation had to settle the legal status of former
slaves so the 14th amendment was passed in 1868 and
its first section declared: “All persons born or naturalized
in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens of the United States…”
Since the passage of the 14th amendment it has
been commonly accepted that “born in the United
States” means both those persons who physically were
born on American soil – the “law of soil” and the children
of those born on U.S. soil, the “law of blood”. But what if
parents were citizens of another country and were
visiting the U.S. when they gave birth to a child here? Is
the child a native of the foreign country you came from
(following the “law of blood” idea) or were you a U.S.
citizen (following the “law of soil” principle)? That was
the case of Wong Kim Ark who was born in
San Francisco to Chinese parents in 1871.
The Supreme Court decided in U.S. v. Wong
Kim Ark (1898) that Wong Kim Ark - and
virtually all persons born in the U.S. were
American citizens (with a few exceptions like
the children of foreign diplomats or
representatives of foreign governments): a
victory for the “law of soil” argument and
the legal foundation of “birthright”
citizenship.
Why would defining “who is a
citizen” be important? U.S. citizenship gives the person
many rights and privileges such as voting, serving on a
jury and economic benefits (like welfare assistance). But
in recent years many Americans have begun to question
birthright citizenship. The large number of immigrants to
the U.S. since the late 1800’s, has led Congress to pass
laws limiting immigration to America. Immigration laws
have changed dramatically over the years in response to
changing times and the changing amount and origin of
people coming to America. By the 1990’s many persons
were entering the U.S. legally with a visa (permission to
enter and visit) but overstayed the time limit on their
visits and became “illegal”, while others crossed the U.S.
border without ever obtaining a visa or permission to
reside in the U.S. Many of these illegal or undocumented
immigrants came to America looking for jobs or to be
with other relatives and family, but while living here they
also gave birth to children in the U.S. who are now, by
birthright, U.S. citizens. As illegal or undocumented
immigrants the parents did not have access to many
rights and privileges but their U.S. born children (often
called anchor babies because they make it
harder for immigrants in the U.S. to uproot
and return to their home countries) do have
access to these rights.
In recent years, the rise in the costs
of government and in unemployment, has
made illegal immigration a target of much
criticism and a hotly debated issue in U.S.
elections. With the number of illegal
immigrants in the U.S. estimated to be
around
11 million, there is a growing concern; anti-immigrant
forces point to anchor babies as making matters worse
because, they believe, it encourages illegal immigration.
To make things even more complicated, most other
countries do not practice “law of soil” citizenship like the
U.S. Most immigrants born around the globe are not
automatically citizens but must qualify based on other
criteria. This has prompted some in the U.S. to propose
the end of birthright citizenship. Proponents or
supporters of repealing (ending) birthright citizenship
often say that American citizenship is more than just
physical birth but rather loyalty to the ideals and values
of America. Their opponents, supporters of immigrants
and their children with birthright citizenship, say that
they often value American ideals as much as
U.S. citizens and many desire to become
“naturalized” citizens. Defining ‘who is
American’, they say, has been used in the past
to exclude groups. For example, the
requirements made of Black citizens to
deprive them of voting rights. In this DBQ, you
must decide which side you support and why:
Should birthright citizenship be ended,
modified (changed) or continue as it is now?
Should citizenship be earned or given as a gift
at birth?
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Background Essay Questions and Check for Understanding
1. Why is it important to define who is a citizen?
2. Did the Supreme Court decision on the Dred Scott case solve the problem of deciding who ought to be a
citizen? Explain.
3. How did the Wong Kim Art case make it more clear who is an American citizen?
4. How does illegal or undocumented immigration make it more difficult for some to support birthright
citizenship?
5. Why would the “the rise in the costs of government and in unemployment” make illegal immigration a “target
of much criticism”?
6. Define these terms:
Law of blood:
Law of soil:
Birthright citizenship:
Anchor babies:
Write a two-sentence summary of the Background Essay. The first sentence should describe time and place. The second
sentence should summarize the story or sequence of events described in the Background Essay.
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Understanding the Question and Pre-Bucketing
Understanding the Question
1. What is the analytical question asked by this Mini-Q?
2. What terms in the question need to be defined?
3. Rewrite the question in your own words.
Pre-Bucketing
Directions: Using any clues from the Mini-Q question, think of logical categories for organizing the documents and label
the buckets. We suggest a three-bucket format.
Reason #1
Reason #2
Reason #3
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
STEP FOUR: Document Analysis (continued)
Context Documents
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Document A
Source:
Amendment XIV, Section 1:
“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.…”
Document B
Source:
US Citizenship and Immigration
(Summarized from http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/path-us-citizenship)
Eligibility Requirements for Naturalization

Be 18 years old

Have already been granted legal permanent residency

Have continuous residency in the U.S. for five years

Be of good moral character

Be able to read, write and speak basic English

Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and government

Be faithful to the principles of the U.S. Constitution

Take the Oath of Allegiance to the U.S.
Document C
Excerpts – Republican Party Platforms
“For the protection of the equality of our American citizenship …we demand that the immigration laws be thoroughly
enforced, and so extended as to exclude from entrance to the United States those who can neither read nor write.”
(Republican Platform of 1896) http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29629
“There is urgent need of improvement in our naturalization law. No alien should become a citizen until he has become
genuinely American, and adequate tests for determining the alien's fitness for American citizenship should be provided
for by law.” (Republican Platform of 1920) http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29635
“The priceless heritage of American citizenship is our greatest gift to our friends of foreign birth. Only those who will be
loyal to our institutions, who are here in conformity with our laws, and who are in sympathy with our national traditions,
ideals, and principles, should be naturalized.” (Republican Platform of 1928)
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29637
“Americanism is a question of principles, of idealism, of character: it is not a matter of birthplace or creed or line of
descent.” — Theodore Roosevelt, adventurer, politician and Nobel Prize-winning 26th U.S. president (1858-1919)
http://josephsoninstitute.org/quotes/quotations.php?q=Citizenship#sthash.KOx5y0Ti.dpuf
Questions
1. Does the 14th amendment define who should be an American? Explain.
2. What do the requirements for naturalization say about what it means to be an American?
3. Why do you think the Republican Platforms define what it means to be an American citizen?
4. Would these excerpts support or oppose birthright citizenship?
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Document D - Political Cartoons
http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/V/Z/3/
Anchor-Babies.gif
https://depaul.digication.com/dcheris/Welcome2
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z205/Jekylln
Hyde_photos/August%2011th%202010/jones.jpg
Questions:
1. Are the cartoons above critical or supportive of anchor babies? How can you tell?
2. How do the cartoonists use symbols to communicate his message?
3. Are these cartoonists supporting or opposing birthright citizenship? How can you tell?
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Document E
Excerpts from “Birthright Citizenship Looms as Next Immigration Battle”
“…Despite being called “anchor babies,” the children of illegal immigrants born in the United States cannot
actually prevent deportation of their parents. It is not until they reach the age of 21 that the children are able
to file paperwork to sponsor their parents for legal immigration status. The parents remain vulnerable until
that point.
Maria Ledezma knows as much. Just off a bus that deported her from Phoenix to the Mexico border town of
Nogales, she was sobbing as she explained the series of events that led her to be separated from her three
daughters, ages 4, 7 and 9, all American citizens.
‘I never imagined being here,’ said Ms. Ledezma, 25, who was brought to Phoenix from Mexico as a toddler.
‘I’ll bet right now that my girls are asking, “Where’s Mom?”’
…In April, Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican of California, one of those pushing for Congressional
action on the issue, stirred controversy when he suggested that children born in the United States to illegal
immigrants should be deported with their parents until the birthright citizenship policy was changed.
‘And we’re not being mean,’ Mr. Hunter told a Tea Party rally in Southern California. ‘We’re just saying it takes
more than walking across the border to become an American citizen. It’s what’s in our souls.’”
(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/us/politics/05babies.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
Key Vocabulary:
Deportation – sent back to their home country, removed from the U.S.
Questions:
1. Did having “anchor babies” help keep Maria “anchored” in the U.S.? Explain.
2. What effect does illegal immigration have on families in America?
3. What does Representative Duncan mean by ‘…to become an American citizen…It’s what’s in
our souls’? What do you think his opponents think of his comment?
4. Would Rep. Duncan support or oppose birthright citizenship? Why?
DBQ: Should Citizenship be Earned?
Document F: Article - Excerpts from “Repealing Birthright Citizenship Would Be Unfair”
Illegal Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints, by Frank H. Wu, page 59. (text)
Document G: Article - Excerpt from “New Nativism: Anti-Immigration Politics and the
Fourteenth Amendment” by Eric Ward (text)