4 Citizens fill the streets of cities such as New York City
WHAT’S A CITIZEN Chapter One A country is nothing without the people who live in it Those people who officially live in a country’s cities and towns are called citizens A person can become a citizen in different ways Citizens also have certain rights and responsibilities When people act as good citizens it’s easier for everyone to get along Becoming a Citizen There are two ways to become a citizen of the United States First a person can be born a citizen Anyone born in the United States or a US territory is a US citizen and anyone born to parents who are US citizens is a citizen The second way to become a citizen is by law through a process called naturalization A person who’s born in another country and becomes a US citizen by law is called a naturalized citizen Before they become a naturalized citizen a person has to meet different requirements They must be 18 years old or older have to Fast Fact Every year the United States accepts a number of refugees into the country These people find jobs and join a new community Many eventually become citizens 5
have lived in the United States for 5 years or 3 years if they’re married to a US citizen and have to have learned about US history through several classes They also have to go to a courtroom and make a promise called an oath to the United States Usually people who go through the naturalization process are immigrants or people born in another country who later move to the United States for school work or marriage Fast Fact Americans celebrate their country on July 4 or Independence Day It’s also a day many people think about what US citizenship means to them US citizens celebrate patriotic holidays such as Independence Day 6
States Immigrants The United is often called a nation of immigrants That’s because so many immigrants and people descended from immigrants call the United States home This started in the 1500s when Europeans began arriving in what’s now the United States The first permanent European settlement in today’s United States was created in 1565 by the Spanish at St Augustine in what’s now Florida In 1607 English settlers arrived and started what became the colony of Virginia A few years later in 1620 more people from England arrived in what’s now known as Massachusetts These immigrants were called Pilgrims They set up communities and made connections with Native Americans who were the only people living in America before Europeans arrived Shown here is a group of immigrants taking their oath to become American citizens As the years went on more Europeans came to America and people from other parts of the world came too They often came to build a better life for themselves and their families Your family may have come to the United States hundreds of years ago or they might have come St Augustine Florida in just the last few years 7
