The modern concept of the American citizenship has a deeper meaning and goes beyond the legal permission and requirements to live in the country. Bulmer and Rees (2016) asserted that the citizenship defines a person’s relationship with the country creating a chord of responsibility, nationalism, rights, and duties. Initially, America was only known as the country of immigrants, but today it is known as the country of citizens. The constitution of America highlights the ‘'privileges and immunities'' of a citizen and offers protection to people living in the country irrespective of their nationality. The law also offers the ‘’right to equal protection of the laws and due process of law.’’
Heater (2013) asserted that the constitution has also played an important role in legalizing citizenship and bestowing uniform rights and duties upon every member of the country. The hallmark of modern citizenship is equality before the law, sense of human dignity, and freedom from arbitrary rule among others. The constitution uses words that are powerful which evoke not only the rights and responsibilities but also the need to be patriotic and able to die for the country.
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The European influences on the American constitution have also had an impact on the citizenship of the people. During the early periods of the modern Europe, the status of citizenship was weaker and varied in nature. The idea of citizenship involved a group of free people who were connected by a common law and was mainly enjoyed by the bourgeois and burghers. The European concept did not involve the universal rights of citizens, but privileges were unequally distributed depending on social works.
The Bill of Rights under the 10 Amendments emphasizes on human rights and the legitimacy of an individual as a citizen of the United States. Holland (2013) asserted that the first amendment which gives the citizens the rights to religious activities, press and speech are important in enhancing the citizenship of an individual.
References
Bulmer, M., & Rees, A. M. (Eds.). (2016). Citizenship today: The contemporary relevance of TH Marshall . Routledge.
Heater, D. (2013). What is citizenship? . John Wiley & Sons.
Holland, C. A. (2013). The body politic: Foundings, citizenship, and difference in the American political imagination . Routledge.
