GOV CITIZEN 1

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GOV CITIZEN 1

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

When the United States first became a nation, the concept of citizenship was not an issue of national concern. Indeed, the Constitution, including the first ten amendments, does not define citizenship. The framers of the Constitution left it up to state governments, rather than the national government, to decide who was a citizen. Any citizen of a state was automatically assumed to be a citizen of the United States, at least in the minds of the framers. Today, citizenship is decided by the national government.
Dred Scott	Dred Scott Case The issue of state versus national citizenship became critical in a famous Supreme Court ;case, Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). A slave named Dred Scott had been moved by his owner to Illinois, where slavery was illegal under state law. Dred Scott sued in court for his freedom. The Supreme Court, which at that time was dominated by southern judges, ruled that Scott could not be a citizen of the United States. He was a slave, and therefore he had no right to sue in court at all. The Supreme Court applied this ruling to Scott while he was in Illinois even though slavery was illegal there and African Americans had long been considered citizens in that state (as well as in most other northern states).
The reasoning of the Court was that at the time the Constitution was adopted, African Americans were not recognized as citizens of the states. It did not matter whether they were slaves or free. According to the logic of the Court, the only individuals who were U.S. citizens were those who were directly descended either from persons who were state citizens in 1787 or from immigrants who became citizens through legal means. Slaves, who fell into neither of these categories, were therefore not citizens.

Which article of the Constitution defined citizenship in 1800?

a.	Article 4	c.	Article 6
b.	Article 5	d.	there was no definition of citizenship in 1800

A person crosses into the United States illegally. The state of California has the authority to declare that person a citizen.

a.	true	c.	there is no way to tell
b.	false

Why did Dred Scott sue in court?

a.	He sued for his freedom because he was living in a “free” state	c.	He claimed that slave owners did not have the right to transport slaves across state lines.
b.	He sued for his freedom because he claimed that “slave” states had no right to deny him his freedom	d.	He claimed that slavery was unconstitutional under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution

According to the states in 1857, what was the citizenship status of slaves?

a.	The states did not consider slaves to be citizens but the U.S. government did	c.	The northern states considered slaves to be citizens but the south did not
b.	All of the states considered slaves to be citizens but the U.S. government did not	d.	The southern states considered slaves to be citizens because they wanted them to be counted for representation in congress.

What did the Supreme Court rule in the Dred Scott case?

a.	Dred Scott could sue in federal court but that did not change his status as a slave	c.	Dred Scott could not sue in court because he was not a citizen but that did not change the fact that he was free because he was living in a free state
b.	Dred Scott was free because he was residing in a free state	d.	Dred Scott did not have the right to sue in court because he was not a citizen.

The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments

Many individuals in the northern states did not agree with the Dred Scott decision. Some historians believe that the ruling in that case was one of the major causes of the Civil War. The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, was passed at the close of the Civil War in 1865. But in passing this amendment, the nation was faced with the need to define who was a citizen. This question was finally answered in 1868 with the Fourteenth Amendment, which begins with the following words:

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.

In essence, the Fourteenth Amendment reversed the Dred Scott decision by making state citizenship an automatic result of national citizenship. The Fourteenth Amendment created the two most common ways to become an American citizen: (1) by birth anywhere on land considered American soil and (2) by the legal process called naturalization. There is a third way as well-by being born of a parent who is a citizen of the United States

Which amendment abolished slavery?

a.	the Bill of Rights	c.	14th
b.	13th	d.	Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation

What did the 14th Amendment say about citizenship?

a.	If you are born in any state you are a citizen.	c.	The 14th Amendment did not address the issue of citizenship
b.	If you are born in any state you may apply for citizenship	d.	It abolished slavery and therefore made all of the slaves citizens

The 14th Amendment says that if you are born on U.S. soil you are

a.	a naturalized citizen	c.	not necessarily a citizen
b.	a natural citizen	d.	a citizen if one of your parents were a citizen

Citizenship by Birth

Most Americans are citizens simply because they were born in the United States. There are, however, a number of other ways to acquire U.S. citizenship.

Location of Birth-Jus Soli The Fourteenth Amendment states that all persons born in the United States are American citizens. This is called citizenship by location. In legal terms, it is called citizenship by jus soli. Jus soli is a Latin phrase that translates as "the law of the soil."

What is considered American soil? Today, the United States includes not only the fifty states but also the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. Additionally, American embassies in foreign countries and any ship or aircraft operated by agencies of the U.S. government are considered U.S. soil. Individuals who are born in the United States but are not subject to the jurisdiction, or control, of the U.S. government are not considered to be born on U.S. soil. These individuals are usually children born to foreign diplomats stationed in the United States.

Significantly, at the time the Fourteenth Amendment was passed, Native Americans-who were considered wards, or persons under the legal guardianship, of the U.S. government-were not granted citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment. In 1924, Congress remedied this situation by passing the Citizenship Act, which granted citizenship to all Native Americans who did not already possess it.

What does jus soli say about citizenship?

a.	You are a citizen if one of your parents was a citizen	c.	If you were born in the U.S. you are a citizen because you were born on the soil of the U.S.
b.	You are not a citizen just because you were born in the U.S.	d.	Everyone, except former slaves, are citizens

10.

You are a citizen of Guam. You claim that you do not have to pay American taxes because you are not a citizen of the U.S.. Are you right?

a.	yes, only U.S. citizens have to pay U.S. taxes	c.	no, because people in Guam can apply for citizenship but are not automatically citizens
b.	yes, Guam is a territory and not a state	d.	no, people born in Guam are U.S. citizens by jus-soli

11.

Your mother and father are citizens of Mexico and not U.S. citizens. Your father is the Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. and you are born in the U.S. while you father is on duty here. Are you a citizen of the U.S.?

a.	yes	c.	you are a citizen of the U.S. only if you agree to give up your Mexican citizenship.
b.	no	d.	there is no way to tell

12.

Which of the following peoples are U.S. citizens

a.	people born in Guam	d.	American Indians
b.	People born in Puerto Rico	e.	all of these groups are citizens by jus soli
c.	people born in the Virgin Islands

Law of the Blood-Jus Sanguinis Since 1790,

Congress has included the so-called "law of the blood," or jus sanguinis, as grounds for American citizenship. Under this law, a child born on foreign soil becomes an American citizen at birth if at least one of the parents is a U.S. citizen. In addition, that U.S. citizen must have lived in the United States (or in an American possession) for at least ten years, five of them after the age of fourteen.

Unlike many other countries, the United States offers citizenship to people born in foreign lands. Upon meeting the requirements, immigrants are granted a certificate of citizenship in ceremonies held throughout the U.S., in places such as Ellis Island, New York. Why is Ellis Island an appropriate location for a citizenship ceremony?

13.

Your mother and father immigrate to the United States from Russia. They apply for and become naturalized citizens. After living in the U.S. for five years, they return to Russia to work. While there you are born. Are you a citizen of the U.S.?

a.	You are a naturalized citizen	c.	You are not a citizen
b.	You are a citizen by jus soli	d.	You are a citizen by jus sanquinis

Citizenship by Choice-Naturalization

The U.S. Constitution, in Article I, Section 8, declares that Congress shall have the power to "establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization." Naturalization is the process by which individuals who are not yet U.S. citizens become citizens. These individuals are then called naturalized citizens. Naturalization can occur in three ways: (1) by act of Congress, (2) by treaty, and (3) by individual action.

By Act of Congress On rare occasions, Congress has passed laws naturalizing entire groups of people. As already mentioned, this was done in 1924 with respect to Native Americans who were not yet citizens. Before that, inhabitants of Hawaii and Puerto Rico were granted citizenship by Congress in 1900 and 1917, respectively. The same thing occurred for residents of the Virgin Islands (1927), Guam (1950), and the Northern Marianas (1977). We have already mentioned the collective naturalization of African Americans and others by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1868.

By Acquisition of Territory Large groups of people have also been naturalized when the United States has acquired new territory. Those living in the areas involved were naturalized by a treaty or by an act of Congress. For example, when the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed in 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. That treaty said that people living in the territory became U.S. citizens. The same provision was made in the treaties in which the United States acquired Florida (1819) and Alaska (1867). Additionally, an act of Congress gave citizenship to all inhabitants of Texas in 1845.

14.

Which is not a way that a person can become a U.S. citizen?

a.	by treaty with a foreign country	c.	by a Presidential declaration
b.	by an act of Congress	d.	by action of an individual person

15.

When a person becomes a citizen by individual action it is called

a.	jus soli	c.	naturalization
b.	natural	d.	equal protection (14th Amendment)

16.

How did American Indians become citizens of the U.S.?

a.	by jus sanguinas	c.	by Congressional Action
b.	by Presidential Action	d.	by treaty

17.

When the United States bought Alaska from Russia, the people living in Alaska became U.S. citizens by

a.	treaty	c.	Presidential action
b.	naturalization	d.	Congressional action

18.

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. constitution gives _____ the power to establish rules for naturalization.

a.	the President	c.	the Congress
b.	the Supreme Court	d.	the states

By Individual Action Today,

Naturalization most often occurs through individual action. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people apply for citizenship in the United States. Candidates for naturalization must have the following qualifications:

They must be eighteen years of age or older (except minors who become citizens when their parents are naturalized).

They must have entered the United States legally and have lived in the United States for at least five years.

They must demonstrate an understanding of basic English words and phrases.

They must be able to prove, if necessary, their high moral character.

They must understand the basic concepts of American government and history.

They must not have advocated the overthrow of the U.S. government by force or violence within the past ten years.

They must not have belonged to any subversive organization within the past ten years. They must not be draft evaders, military deserters, anarchists, or polygamists. (A polygamist is a person with more than one spouse.)

19.

Illegal aliens have the right to apply for citizenship

a.	true	c.	only if they are born in the United States
b.	false	d.	there is no way to know

20.

A Columbian drug lord wants to enter the United States and apply for citizenship because the Columbia government want to put him in jail. Does he have a right to apply for citizenship.

a.	yes under all conditions	c.	yes because we do not recognize the drug laws of Columbia
b.	no	d.	there is no way to tell

21.

In 1919 Attorney General Palmer went after people such as Communists and Anarchists who wanted to overthrow the government of the U.S. (Palmer Raids) The Communists and Anarchists could escape deportation if they applied for and became naturalized citizens. The government could not prevent them from becoming citizens because of the 14th Amendment.

true

false

22.

People who apply for citizenship must speak fluent English and be able to write English compositions.

true

false

23.

A man, a woman and their children come to the United States. The mother and father become naturalized citizens. What is the status of their children?

a.	they must apply for citizenship when they become 16	c.	they automatically become citizens when their parents become naturalized
b.	they can become citizens only after they prove that they can read and write simple English.	d.	they must apply for citizenship when they become 18

How Citizenship Can Be Lost

Expatriation The word expatriation is made up of the prefix ex-, meaning "from," and the Latin word )atria, which means "native country, or fatherland." To expatriate someone is to banish that person from his or her native country. An individual can voluntarily become an expatriate by becoming a naturalized citizen of another country or by renouncing American citizenship to a representative of the U.S. government. Once renounced, citizenship cannot easily be regained.

Punishment for a Crime The federal government can take away citizenship if a person is convicted of treason, of inciting rebellion, or of conspiring to overthrow the government by violent means.

Denaturalization In rare (expatriation) was cases, a naturalized citizen may lose his or her citizenship through a process called denaturalization. Denaturalization occurs if the federal government learns that a naturalized citizen obtained his or her citizenship through fraudulent means.

24.

During the Korean War some American soldiers expatriated to Communist China. What was their status as citizens of the United States?

a.	they were still citizens because they were in the military service when they expatriated	c.	expatriation has no effect on citizenship status
b.	they were still citizen regardless of their military status	d.	they were no longer U.S. citizens

25.

Once a person is an American citizen that person is a citizen for life and can not change his or her citizenship status

a.	true	c.	there is no way to tell
b.	false