...Chapter Six, Foundations of United States Citizenship 5/5 D. List or Describe: 1. Describe the evolution of the modern American flag. The American Flag was officially adopted by The Second Continental Congress on the 14th of June, 1777. The flag was made up of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the union bearing 13 white 5-point stars. Francis Hopkins is responsible for the 13 white stars. During the Revolutionary war, Patriots started making a bunch of these American flags. In 1794, Congress passed an act requiring The American Flag to have 15 stars and 15 stripes. This was the official flag from 1795-1818. This new official flag was the inspiration for the “Star Spangled Banner” written by Francis Scott Key. On April fourth, 1818 President Monroe accepted a bill that reflected the ideas of Capt. Samuel C. Reid. Reid suggested that the flag should have 13 stripes but, for every new state American gained we added another star. The American flag with 50 stars was first raised on July fourth, 1960. The flag is traditionally a symbol for liberty and freedom. The 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first states in the Union while the colors red, white, and blue represent purity and innocence, hardiness and valor, and vigilance, perseverance, and justice. This is what makes up The American Flag we know today. Lesson One, The American...
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...video created by The Story of Stuff project in 2007. In the video, writers Annie Leonard and Jonah Sachs describe the process of turning natural resources into consumer goods, then into waste. The writers describe a seemingly linear five-step process: extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Leonard and Sachs describe a carefully-scripted culture of unsustainable consumption and waste. The extraction phase of “The Story of Stuff” refers to the removal of natural resources such as timber, natural gas, coal, oil, and water. The writers emphasize the unsustainability of this phase, especially in the United States. The video states that the United States holds 5% of the world’s population but uses 30% of the world’s natural resources and creates over 30% of the world’s waste. This is a staggering statistic. Four percent of the United States’ forests remain. FOUR PERCENT. How much longer will it be before trees are things read about in storybooks (digitally printed of course, as there are no more natural resources to harvest.) The production phase is described as the addition of toxic chemicals to natural resources in order to produce the “stuff” we want. Please note the use of the word “want,” not “need.” The authors note that over 100,000 synthetic chemicals are commercially available today and are regularly used in production. Of those 100,000 synthetic chemicals, very few have been tested in a significant way to measure the long-term health effects of...
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...Introduction: Birthright citizenship is the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children who are born in the United States, regardless of the citizenship status of their parents. Federal law currently grants the majority of children born in the U.S automatic citizenship; this law is controversial amongst policymakers because it grants children of illegal immigrants citizenship and incentivizes immigration to the United States. In the year 2010 alone, there were over 4 million children in the United States born from illegal parents as well as nearly 10% of children born in the United States are born from at least one illegal parent. In addition to children born from illegal parents, each year there are around 200,000 children...
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...Birthright Citizenship Amendment is one that has caused controversy. Should a person that is born in the US, regardless of whether the parents were here temporarily, or illegally be considered an American citizen? The 14th Amendment states “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they reside”, ( Spalding, 2010). The interpretation of this amendment has caused the controversy. Those opposed to ending the clause in the Birthright Citizenship Amendment argue “The framers' intent was to create an objective basis for establishing citizenship—birth—not a subjective standard left to the whim of a majority. The United States has, for that reason, never struggled like other nations to integrate those born here” ( Fitz, 2010). These people feel that the children born here will always feel stigmatized if not accepted as an American citizen, and this will do more harm than good for our nation. Those who seek to end this clause have a different perspective “It violates bedrock American principles and undermines the rule of law” ( Spalding, 2010). He goes on to say that he has no problem with legal immigrants having children who are automatically given birthright citizenship, but this right should exclude illegal immigrants or temporary visitors. I tend to agree with Spalding on this. I do not feel it is fair or beneficial to give Birthright Citizenship to any...
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...They are known as “salmon mommas”. They produce Americans in order to let their children enjoy more than 180 countries visa-free entry, free compulsory education for 13 years and every kind of perfect social service. It seems like they have plenty of reasonable explanations for giving birth in the United States. First, the one-child policy must be the very primary reason for that behavior. Most Chinese families will plan to conceive again, resulting from the tradition preference for sons over daughters. But because of the banning of policy, those couples who can afford the high price choose to give birth abroad, which also create a new industry. Second, another attractive reason must be the citizenship in United States. According to the law of the United States, every person born within the dominions and allegiance of the United Stated, whatever the situation of his parents, is a natural born citizen. (Stock, Margaret) As we all know, it takes at least 6 to 7 years to become a citizen of America, and the older the longer. So, Chinese parents produce American children in the view of helping their kids enjoy the rights of every American, as well as be hopeful of getting citizenships for themselves someday. (Graglia, Lino) Unfortunately, things...
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...all, including my group, have different approaches and views toward multiculturalism, but I personally relate it mostly to immigration. Immigration is a founding stone of multiculturalism and although there are strong arguments against it, in my eyes, it is important for the country and its diversification. Every year my friends and I come to school a week earlier for the international orientation week. It is an event I usually look forward to way in advance. It is an exciting moment when the new class of international students set foot in Ramapo College for the first time. The people are of different ages and background. They come from exotic places like Burma, Italy, Nepal, Bulgaria and many more. Most of them have never been to the States before and the change they are going through is quite tough. Communication with them is not always easy. They come from different cultures, have different understandings of life and different ideas about what is wrong and what is right. The communication with foreigners largely depends on their proficiency in English. Many students struggle with their accents and do not feel comfortable speaking. The level of proficiency in English really depends on what country one is coming from and how good the school system in that country is. As some of the students say, “many people think it is funny and cute that we have accents, others tend to look down on us because of the way we speak and the fact that we are not always able to find the right...
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...1.02 What Is Citizenship? Use this document to complete assignment 1.02 Once you are finished answering the questions, save the file (to flash drive) There are two parts (Scroll to page 2) Open assessments and open 1.02 Attach this file and check submit for grading Click Submit! Answer the following questions in a minimum of 2 sentences each. Be sure to proofread and submit only your BEST WORK. You may also choose to interview someone who has gone through the process. 1. Why do you think someone would want to become a U.S. citizen? Someone would want to become a citizen because the United States offers individuals freedom of speech, freedom of religion and diversity unlike other countries who wouldn’t all things like the U.S. such as gay marriage. The United States also offers a decent Education to both genders without any hassle. 2. What steps are required as part of the naturalization process? 1. Have to determine whether you are or aren’t a citizen already 2. Have to determine if you’re eligible to become a United Sates citizen 3. Have to prepare naturalization application 4. Get Photographed 5. Get Fingerprinted 6. Be Interviewed 7. Get decision 8. Take oath and become an United States Citizen 3. How do you think people feel about the process? I have a feeling some people think it’s such a long process and is very tedious. It happened to be aggravating sometimes. 4. How will gaining citizenship changed someone’s...
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...Modern Challenges in Immigration Ethics/125 Modern Challenges in Immigration The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) “is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Serices, 2009).” One strategic goal of the USCIS is to strengthen the security and integrity of the immigration system. Ensuring that immigration benefits are only granted to eligble applicants is a huge responsibility. There are always going to be individuals that try to commit indenity or benefit fraud so it is very important for the USCIS to be constantly enhancing their security measures. I believe the USCIS is meeting the enhanced security goal for a number of reasons. First the shift from a paper-based infrastructure to an electronic-based process adds the heightened security the department needs. The electronic-based process enhaces security by giving a complete database of information giving the ability to verify identities of individuals as well as creating data sharing that can help USCIS officers receive information in a timely manner. The NSCIS has also implemented an Intelligence Program that provides the officers with extremely useful and current information they may need to support quality decision making. In addition another one of USCIS’s strategic goals is to support immigrants’ integration and participation in American civic culture. It is important for immigrants to understand the civic values that unite...
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...Tourism Act of 2015. This bill is about the illegalization of immigrants coming over to the United States while they’re pregnant. This bill was introduced on May 20, 2015 by Dana Rohrabacher, a congressmen in California. I am for this bill becoming a law. I feel that this bill should become a law because if a women is coming to the United States pregnant, she will be living off our governments support programs. We have no way of telling if this women will find herself a job and be able to take care of her child on her own. If she lives off of the support groups, will she be able to pay taxes? Once she has her baby, how will she afford her hospital bills? Where will she take care of her baby? There are so many questions and situations you have to think about. It’s not that I don’t like that people just come from around the world. I love that people from all different places want the opportunity to start over, but I think that if they want to have a baby here, they should have proof that they will be able to support themselves and their child. Also, they’re families living in the United States who need help and aren’t able to get it. If a women was to come over to the United States and be supported by our government groups, they should be doing something to give back to our community. She should be able to get a job and be able to pay taxes just like every other American. The United States is already over populated as it is, and if we have people coming over who are having children...
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...Dual Citizenship Local Leadership There are many Filipinos who migrated to other countries in search for better lives, mostly in terms of economic prosperity. Some of them migrated to the United States and after a number of years became a citizen of that country. Having an American citizenship have open doors to countless opportunities and one of them is the ability to travel to most countries without having to procure a visa. Because of the strong connections of their native country, some Filipinos went back, do some helpful work for the community and some wanted to work for the government. Technically, they are foreigners in their own country of origin because they are now citizens of another country. In relation to this, because of the strong...
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...arrival of the Americans, this did not curb their welcoming and enabling the American invasion. Unfortunately, the outcome of the invasion was not as positive as was thought it would be. During early U.S. rule, Puerto Ricans still were not included in the majority of governmental relations, and as with Spaniards, Americans who were sent to rule in Puerto Rico had never been there before and were ignorant about the history, culture, Spanish language, etc. Basically, Puerto Rico continued being ruled by foreigners who sought to complete their own interests, as opposed to looking to what are the interests of the nation they are invading and ruling. A cogent metaphor in Ferré's novel for the unrequited hopes that Puerto Rico had when United States invaded is Tony Torres, who is supposedly going to dance in Kerenski's adaptation of Swan Lake and Firebird . The people who lived in Machuelo Abajo reacted to the news of Tony with respect and excitement. In my view, the initial reactions of Machuelo Abajo's young people, were on a smaller scale, comparable to the reaction of Puerto Ricans, especially the elite, to the proposed American invasion. Here is a sample of the reaction to Tony's being selected as Prince in the ballet school's production: "The young people in Machuelo Abajo...
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...the citizenship requirement in determining dependents for the child tax credit as per IRC section 152(b)(3). According to the IRC, in order to be a dependent one needs to be a citizen or a national of the United States of America or a resident of the United States or of a country contiguous to the United States (Canada or Mexico). Recently, there has been a court case that challenged the IRS’ definition of dependent with regards to the child tax credit. The case was Leah M. Carlebach and Uriel Fried, petitioners v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, respondent. The Petitioners and their children live in Israel and were filing American tax returns. In 2007, the petitioners filed tax returns for 2004, 2005, and 2006 where they listed their children as dependents. The issue at hand is that the children didn’t receive American citizenship until 2007 and the parents claimed a dependency deduction for their children from 2004 through 2006, before they received their American citizenship. The respondent (the IRS) claimed that as long as the children weren’t citizens of the United States during that tax year, then they can’t be claimed as dependents to qualify for the child tax credit. The IRS assessed approximately $39,308 in owed taxes and additional penalties because of the improper tax deductions. The IRC code in question is IRC Sec. 152 (b)(3)(a) which is the source for the citizenship test for dependents. It says that the dependent must be a citizen of the United States...
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...1.02 What is citizenship Interview with Rahim Aldemir What inspired you to become a U.S. citizen? I became a U.S. citizen to create a new life in America. My home country was stricken with poverty, I wanted to go to America so I could have a chance at life. What steps did you have to take as part of the naturalization process? I had to maintain a residence for 5 years before I could apply to be a citizen. I was then scheduled fingerprinting and an interview. During my interview I had to take exams on writing and reading English as well as the United States government and history. After passing my exams I was scheduled for a swearing in ceremony, at the ceremony I took an oath of allegiance and was a certified U.S. citizen. How would you describe how you felt about the process? The process was easy enough for me, I began learning English as a second language in my home country. I only had to study for a week because I had already known all the material for the exams and interview. My only complaint is that 5 years is a long time to wait to become a citizen, I wish I could have applied earlier. How has gaining citizenship changed your life? Is your daily life different because of gaining citizenship? There is little noticeable difference in my daily life. I still continue to go through my daily routine. The United States gives anyone who is not a citizen a good life because there is no noticeable difference. Do you feel the process was worthwhile? Yes, I enjoy having...
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...Shirley Chisholm, the first black congresswoman in the United States, once said that “Of course laws will not eliminate prejudice from the hearts of human beings. But that is no reason to allow prejudice to continue to be enshrined in our laws - to perpetuate injustice through inaction” (“Shirley Chisholm Quotes”). And while it is true that the rules of any government should be as free from bias as possible, the history of our nation is riddled with laws that were based solely on bigoted beliefs against various groups of people. Many statues in our country’s history were built upon a pedestal of prejudice, but one of the most significant of these was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This law made it nearly impossible for Chinese immigrants to become United States citizens. However, historical evidence shows that female Chinese immigrants faced more difficulties in the United States than did their male counterparts. Although all Chinese immigrants faced hardships in migrating to America, females were more harshly impacted by anti-immigration laws than males were due to a potent combination of racism and sexism. One of the first things that may come to mind when we think about Chinese immigration to the United States is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and it is not hard to see why. As the name implies, politicians created...
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...Spanish-American War, North America has been in control of Puerto Rico. The Jones-Shafroth Act in 1917 only furthered Puerto Rico’s relationship with America, allowing Puerto Ricans to claim U.S. Citizenship. Even though Puerto Ricans House of Delegates all voted against the passing of the Act, the Act was still passed. According to HuffPost Latino Voices, 51% of Puerto Ricans would like to keep their relationship with the United States, leaving 49% of the population wanting to claim independence. Puerto Ricans have been denied the right to Vote for President of the United States, in which who controls limitations and laws that these citizens have to live by. In this paper, I would like...
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