Citizenship in the United States Being a United States (US) citizen means a great deal to me. When I took the first step towards US citizenship, the last thing on my mind was to become a “model citizen” or having the same rights and obligations as a US born citizen. When I obtained my legal resident in the US, which is the first step towards citizenship, the main concern on my mind was “I am no longer on at edge about being deported.” This was a great relief for me, as all of my family resides in the US. This same frame of mind is shared among many people who take the first steps towards citizenship. They all want to stay in this country, and not being separated from their families. While taking this course, I was able to further understand what is …show more content…
In my own personal experience, I was so focused to try to assist my father to obtain his legal status, I did not take into consideration the expectation. While part of the process is to pass a civil test, it is not explained the reason behind the exam. I understand the idea of knowing the history of the US is to build stronger ties to this country, I strongly believe the expectation is not set for new citizens. Many of the people that become citizens are only aware of the voting rights. They are not aware of the military service they could be required to serve, or they would be require to serve as a jury. Many of them are surprised to receive summons to be part of a jury selection once they become US citizens. Overall, the expectation of becoming a US citizen is not as clear as it should be. If we could encourage loyalty, community and political participation as part of the citizenship requirements, I strongly believe more new US citizens would participate and become involved in the community, making the US a stronger