Genre Essential Questions - Cliff Valley 2nd Grade

Genre Informational Text

Essential QuestionsWhat is a citizen? What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States?

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United States

by Annie Ascherillustrated by David Leonard

CITIZENSHIP

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WHAT IS A CITIZEN?“I pledge allegiance to the flag . . .” Imagine

saying those words for the first time. On the Fourth of July, not long ago, almost 8,000 people across our country did just that. It was a very special day for them. They had just become American citizens.

A citizen is a person who legally belongs to a country. Some Americans were citizens at birth. If you are born in the U.S. then you are a natural born citizen. It is possible to be a natural born citizen even if you were born in another country. This happens if one of your parents is an American citizen.

Other people choose to become U.S. citizens. These people are called naturalized citizens. Naturalized American citizens come from places all over the world.

There are two ways to become an American citizen.

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HISTORY OF CITIZENSHIPThe First U.S. Citizens

On the first Fourth of July, in 1776, there were no U.S. citizens. Up until then, the king of England ruled Americans. On that day, some leaders declared Americans should rule themselves. A few years later the United States of America became a republic. In a republic, all citizens have a voice. At that time, few countries in the world gave people such rights. Soon, the United States became a symbol of hope.

July 4, 1776, is the birthday of the United States.

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Ellis Island: America the Melting Pot

Dreams of living in a democracy drew many people. Millions made the journey. Between 1892 and 1924 more than 12 million people emigrated from their original countries and came to the United States.

At that time, many people who immigrated here came first to Ellis Island. Ellis Island is between New York and New Jersey. Nearby stands the Statue of Liberty. For these people, Lady Liberty was their first view of America.

New immigrants were often very tired. Some were hungry or sick. Their journeys were not over, though. Arriving at Ellis Island was only the first step.

Welcome to America!

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Ellis Island was an immigration station, or a place where immigrants registered. Officials there asked immigrants questions and checked to see if they were sick. Some immigrants had to wait until they were healthy. Some were not allowed to enter the U.S.

If officials approved them, immigrants were free to enter America. Finally their dream of living here had come true! So many new Americans came from other countries that people began to call the United States a melting pot. A real melting pot is a container in which different metals melt and mix. America had become a place where people from many countries could mix together and form one new country.

Ellis Island is located in New York City’s harbor.

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Citizenship and Civil Rights

At the time immigrants came through Ellis Island, not all people were allowed to be citizens. Citizenship rules were not always fair. Native Americans, for example, lived in our country first. It was not until 1924, however, that all Native Americans were called natural born citizens.

In 1957, Congress passed a law protecting voting rights for all people.

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African Americans also had a long road to true citizenship. In our country’s early history, Africans were kidnapped and enslaved. After the Civil War, Congress outlawed slavery. Soon after, Congress gave African Americans citizenship.

Even after they had citizenship, however, some people were not given civil rights. Civil rights are a citizen’s right to be treated the same as everyone else. The right to vote is a U.S. civil right. For a long time, several groups did not have it. Women could not vote until 1920. Before the 1960s, voting in some states was almost impossible for African Americans and Native Americans. People worked hard to change this. Finally by the 1960s and 70s, laws protected these groups’ rights.

Women began to demand voting rights in 1848, but had to wait over 70 years.

WHY IS CITIZENSHIP IMPORTANT?The people who fought for citizenship and civil

rights understood how important these things are. Being able to vote means you can help change things. You can choose a government’s leaders. You can help decide a country’s laws.

U.S. laws protect citizens. Citizens can make up their own minds. They can own property and live anywhere. As long as they do not break laws, they are free to make their own choices.

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BECOMING A CITIZENToday, many immigrants to

the U.S. become naturalized citizens. This process involves work. To become a citizen, an immigrant must first live in the United States for five years. Next, the immigrant must take a test to show that he or she can read, speak, and write English. The person must then answer questions about the United States’ government.

After an immigrant has passed the tests, there is a ceremony. At the ceremony, the new citizen takes an oath. An oath is a promise. The new citizen promises to be loyal to the United States. He or she also promises to follow all of the laws. Then everyone says the Pledge of Allegiance.

The naturalized citizen now has the same rights as all other citizens!

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WHAT IS A GOOD CITIZEN?Rights and Responsibilities

Citizens have many rights besides the right to vote. In the United States, citizens have freedom of speech. They are allowed to have meetings. These are important rights. In some countries people cannot speak or gather freely. Our country’s laws protect our right to do this.

There are other important rights of U.S. citizens. Citizens can practice any religion they choose. Children have the right to go to school and learn, and adults also have the right to vote.

With these rights, however, come responsibilities. A responsibility is something a person is expected to do. When citizens practice responsibilities, they keep our country strong.

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In our country, citizens are responsible to learn about the government. If a citizen does not know about leaders and laws, he or she cannot vote well. Citizens should know about U.S. history in order to learn from past mistakes.

Citizens should be involved in their communities. They should find ways to volunteer and help others. They must obey laws. They should speak up if something is wrong.

Paying taxes is a responsibility of citizens. A tax is money people pay to the government for its support. The government pays firefighters, police officers, and teachers with tax money. Taxes also pay for new buildings and roads.

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Character Traits of Good Citizens

A good citizen has certain character traits.

A character trait describes how a person acts in a situation. It tells who someone really is.

Respectfulness is a character trait of good citizens. Good citizens respect others’ rights. A good citizen listens to others with different opinions.

Another trait of good citizens is honesty. A good citizen pays the right amount of taxes, whether or not anyone will notice.

Good citizens are also helpful. A good citizen watches out for his or her neighbors. A good citizen might help pick up litter on the side of the road.

Being a good citizen is hard work.

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Now a U.S. Citizen

At the citizenship ceremony on the Fourth of July, some new citizens probably felt a little nervous. Citizenship has many responsibilities.

Mostly, though, they were filled with excitement. Because they took the oath, they were now Americans! Whether naturalized or natural born, all citizens keep America strong.

It is great to be an

American!

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