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The US Bill of Rights defines the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, including freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, the right to own guns, and the right to a trial by jury. Citizenship requires abiding by the law and responding to jury duty. Voting is a right, not a responsibility, but many believe it is important for full citizenship. Immigrants often look forward to exercising these rights.
You may hear the phrase in the United States that “it’s a free country,” and to some extent that is true. As a US citizen, you have many rights clearly defined in the Bill of Rights, which has been amended to promote greater inclusiveness of what defines a citizen. If you look at early versions of the Bill of Rights, you will see the many exclusions to citizenship defined by the early United States and its founding fathers. Those not counted as citizens in the early days included Native Americans, most African Americans, and most women.
Today an American citizen is defined as a person born in this country or a person who has gone through the entire immigration process to become a citizen. In many cases, becoming a citizen of the United States means giving up allegiance to other countries, although in some cases people may hold dual citizenship. But first and foremost, the highest allegiance you have as an American citizen is to your country.
So what are the rights of an American citizen? As defined by the Bill of Rights, anyone classified as a citizen has the right to practice any religion of their choice, to assemble freely, and to speak or write their opinion, even if that opinion criticizes the government. Citizens are also allowed, in most circumstances, to own guns and to be treated equally by businesses, educational systems, and government institutions. Other protections include your right to be free from search and seizure of your property without a warrant, your right to privacy, and your right to a trial before a jury of peers if you’re accused of crimes. Citizenship always means that if you are accused of a crime, the burden of proof is on the accuser and you are always presumed innocent of a crime until a jury or judge decides otherwise.
As a US citizen, you also have some responsibilities. You must remain lawful, abiding by the laws of both the country and the state where you live. You cannot commit acts of treason against your government. Male citizens over the age of 18 must register in the Selective Service, and if drafted, male citizens who are drafted must not refuse to serve their country.
Another responsibility is your willingness to respond to the call to juries when they are called. Since all citizens are granted the right to trial by jury, ordinary citizens must form staff juries. Normally an American citizen cannot refuse to be a juror. You must show up, although you may be granted an exception to serve on a jury under certain circumstances.
There is some controversy as to whether voting is a right or a responsibility. As an American citizen you don’t have to vote, but many believe that full citizenship comes about as a result of participatory electorate, or where all citizens exercise their right to vote. However, voting is not a requirement of citizens but rather a right.
For many, citizenship in the United States is very special, and others complain that people don’t realize how lucky they are. It’s easy to take for granted the rights that were hard won by the country’s early founders, especially if you were born a citizen of the United States. Interestingly, when people immigrate to the United States, how many of them are very eager to exercise the rights that many of us take for granted. Immigrants often look forward to voting and anxiously await their ability to participate fully in the democratic process.
