Citizenship Throughout History Because of the relationship between the state and individual, the meaning of the term “citizen” has changed over the centuries. Whether referring to ancient civilizations and states, or current America, each individual has or had their own personal responsibility and rights (more so increasing with time). The concept of who is a citizen of a state has also varied over time, especially back in the day when states would conquer other states and take the reigns. Therefore, what it means to be a citizen differs based upon the time and location of the state, starting with the earliest civilizations all the way to current day. The first citizens, in opinion, would be the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greek city-states were the first to truly bond together those under its control. The polis allowed for men to voice …show more content…
American citizens were granted the most rights and responsibilities of any man under the U.S. Constitution. Eventually, African Americans and women were allowed to vote and partake in the political system of the country. To be a citizen today, legally one must either have been born here or have the required legal paperwork. This is the simple baseline for being deemed a “citizen”. However, an ideal citizen is one that votes and gives back to the community and state. Today, many people do not exercise their right to vote, with roughly only a fifty percent voter turnout for presidential election years. It is disappointing that so many do not use their rights that others do not have, but this does not make these people “less” of a citizen. Some parts of the world have not given their constituents the same rights and freedoms of America. Therefore, what kind of citizens can they actually become (at no fault of their own)? Is it up to the US and other free states to attempt to give these citizens the basic human rights everyone