What Is Citizenship?

What Is Citizenship? — page 1 — MEMBERS OF A COUNTRY Members of a club or team follow rules care for others and work together Other group members help them reach their goals They all feel like they are a part of something important A citizen is a full member of a country People may live in a country without being a citizen They may move to a country for a job or to be with family In some cases they will leave after a few years But most people who live in Any team must cooperate to achieve a goal such as winning a championship Championship teams win because they help each other 4

What Is Citizenship? — page 2 — a country are full citizens of that country Citizens have rights that are given by the country’s government For example citizens have the right to be protected by a country’s laws In return citizens have duties that they owe to the country One of the most important duties is being loyal to the country People can lose their citizenship if they do not fulﬁll their duties When people move to another country they try to learn where important places are located This way they know where to go to get the things they need or where to get help A citizen is a member of a country What would it be like to live in a country if you were not a citizen THINK ABOUT IT 5

What Is Citizenship? — page 3 — WHO IS A CITIZEN Most countries have three basic ways for someone to become a citizen First and simplest anyone born in the country is a citizen of that country Second anyone whose parent is a citizen of the country is also a citizen For example if a U S citizen gives birth to a baby in another country then that baby is considered a citizen of the United States This is called acquired citizenship In the United States anyone who is born here is a citizen even if his or her parents are not citizens 6

What Is Citizenship? — page 4 — The third way is by going through a process called naturalization Naturalization is a way for people who are born in one country to become citizens of another country Laws on naturalization are different from country to country Often the person must be a permanent resident of the country for several years must pass a test proving that he or she knows the laws and history of the country and must take an oath of loyalty to the country An oath is a serious promise VOCABULARY Children born to U S citizens are also given citizenship even when they are born in other parts of the world 7

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