Lesson 33: What Does It Mean to Be a Citizen?

Lesson Objectives

When you have finished this lesson, you should  be able to

• explain the meaning of citizenship in the United States, the ways Americans become citizens, and why all American citizens are citizens both of their states and their nation,
• identify essential rights and responsibilities of citizens, and why citizenship is particularly complicated for Native Americans,
• describe the process of naturalization, differences between citizens and resident aliens, and how citizenship can be lost, and
• evaluate, take, and defend positions on the legal and moral rights and obligations of citizens.