Natalie Williams

8A

Social Studies
September 14, 2016

US Citizenship Essay
I am from the United States. Currently America is a democracy run by the
president, vice president and government. But even with all of these of these
people working together on the US constitution, America is still not perfect. But I
am going to state what I think would make America perfect.
Like I stated theThe US citizenship policy is far from perfect. There are many
ways to become a citizen of the US., from being born there to taking a test. To
become a US citizen, I believe that you should have to be born in the US andor
have a parent/legal guardian who has lived there with citizenship for at least 2 8
years. Lots of parents have used their children as a way to over stay VISA and be
allowed to stay in the US because their child was born there and is now a legal
citizen. For example, a Norwegian woman comes to the US 8 months with child
and gives birth in the US. The child is now a US citizen so the child cannot be
kicked out of the country. The woman take advantage of her childs citizenship
to over stay her VISA. I do not believe that anchor babies should be allowed. I
believe that if you are an anchor baby you should be given the citizenship that
you parent(s) have citizenship in. Some may argue that because the anchor baby
was born in the US that they are an American citizen but I believe that his/her
parent(s) must be an American citizen and he/she would not be an anchor baby if
this was the case.
In my conception of a perfect world, becoming a US citizen wouldnt be as easy
coming to the US and taking a test. I understand that some may say that taking
a test would be fair because it shows that you understand language and culture
but I dont agree with this, because I believe that you should be loyal to your
place of birth or wherever you have lived majority of your lifecitizenship to. Some
people may move to America for better lifestyle. I understand that this may give
better opportunities for people and their children and these access laws should
not take away a chance at a better lifestyle but should only allow residency not
citizenship.
One right that I believe every US citizen should have, is free health care.
However, I do not think that all health care should be free. I think that every
citizen should have the right to free emergency health care for situations that
could impact your life on a large scale, for example gun wounds, heart attacks
etc. Some may argue that it should not be free because of things like tax income
and I understand that but health care should still be free because peoples
illnesses are not in their control. Another right that I believe every US citizen
should have, is free education. I believe in free education because education has
the biggest impact on our future. People should not be discriminated and given
less opportunity at a good education just because of their how they were brought
up and their finance or lack of finance. Because sometimes the money you make,
even with hard work, is beyond your control. Some people may say that people
should not be given free education because it affects tax income and teacher
pay rate and I understand that, which is why I think that education should only
be free for students from pre-kindergarten to their last high school year. I say to
their last high school year because university/college should not be free. This is

Natalie Williams
8A

Social Studies
September 14, 2016

because I believe that university professors/teachers should be payed more

because they are the teachers that determine your future and send you off to
your adulthood. These teachers affect your future and adulthood most because
what you choose to study is what they may teach you and further your
knowledge on and you may then go into your future with enough knowledge to
pursue a career in what you study. The next right I believe every American
citizen should have, is the right to vote from the age of 16. Some may argue that
16 is too young to vote and that younger citizens may be uneducated on what
their vote determines. I disagree with that because these young citizens are the
new generation of American citizens and the president. ial election can have a
big impact on their future. It can affect their education as well as their future
career. The fourth right that I believe every American citizen should have, is the
right to a prompt, fair trial by jury because I dont think your innocence should be
determined by the amount of money you have or whether or not you can afford a
lawyer because this may be beyond your control. I understand that some may disagree
with this and say that them paying for a lawyer is their responsibility but I dont agree
with these people because in some situations you cant control the amount of money you
possess. The last right that I believe an American citizen should have and what I believe
is the most important right is the right to freedom of speech with limitations of threats. I
believe that you can say whatever you want to say even if it offends someone unless it is
a threat because if it may endanger someones life then I believe it should be against the
law. I dont mean that you are joking with your friend and say Im gonna kill you, but if
the person that what you are saying is directed to takes what you say as a threat you can
be sent to court or jail. Some may argue that freedom of speech should not be a right
because it can hurt someones feelings or make them feel insignificant but I would
disagree with these people because only you can control how you feel about yourself, but
when you start being threatened that is when it becomes something beyond your control.
I have stated what rights I think an American citizen should have, but I havent stated
what right the US holds now that I disagree with. The right that the US gives its citizens
now that I disagree with is the right to bear arms. I disagree with this right because I do
not believe that US citizens should be allowed to bear arms unless they are in the armed
forces. This is because the right to bear arms further the amount of violence in the US. I
understand that some may say it is a good thing to be allowed to bear arms because it is
good self-protection, but guns cause more deaths in a year than the lives they save in a
year aside from the armed forces protection.

Not only are US citizens given rights with their citizenship but they also have
responsibilities. One responsibility that every US citizen should be given is to
respect federal, state and local laws. Some may say that obeying the law is not
always crucial because it is not always dangerous but I disagree with these
people because even if one law someone breaks doesnt affect much, it can lead
to them breaking more laws that could. Another responsibility that I believe
every US citizen should have is to pay income and other taxes honestly, and on
time, to federal, state, and local authorities because taxes have a huge impact
on the American society and without them America would have a lot less
financially. I also believe that no matter your salary every citizen should have to
pay 10% of their earnings to the federal, state, and local authorities. Some may
argue that not everyone should have to pay 10% because they make too much
or too little money but I disagree with these people because I believe that
everyone should have the same responsibilities no matter how much they make.
The next responsibility that every US citizen should have is to respect the rights,
beliefs, and opinions of others. I believe this because no one can control how

Natalie Williams
8A

Social Studies
September 14, 2016

people feel or what they believe and the more you respect others beliefs, the
less conflict will be caused. Others may disagree with this responsibility because
they believe that there should only be one religion/main belief, but I differ with
these people because even if you try to persuade someone to change their mind
you cannot control whether or not they actually do. And there will be a lot less
conflict If we just respect others and their beliefs. Another responsibility that I
believe every US citizen should have is to Care for children in your care. This
should be a responsibility because not only does how you care for a child effect
your life but it also forms a whole other. How you care for a child shapes who
they are. Some people may say that it is not always your job to care for children
in your care but I disagree with these people because even if you dont care
about how you treat the child, they might, and it might affect their entire future.
The last responsibility that I believe every US citizen should have is the
responsibility to serve a jury when you are called upon. I believe that this is a
very important responsibility because your participation in a jury may help
determine someones verdict and serving in a jury also shows your dedication
the US safety. Some may argue that serving your time in a jury is not important
because it doesnt impact much but I disagree with these people because if no
one served in a jury someones verdict could be determined by a single person
(the judge).
These are the access rules, rights and responsibilities that I believe every US
citizen should live with to make the United States the perfect utopia.