CITIZENSHIP, AMERICAN - Status
acquired by birth within the United States or through
judicial proceedings known as 'naturalization.' One
is also a citizen, even though born outside the United
States, if both of his parents were citizens and one
of them had a residence in the United States prior
to the birth.
A citizen is one who, under the Constitution and
laws of the United States, has a right to vote for
representatives in congress and other public officers,
and who is qualified to fill offices in the gift of
the people. In a more extended sense, under the word
citizen are included all persons born in the United
States and naturalized persons born out of the same
who have not lost their right as such. This includes
men, women and children.
Citizens are either native born or naturalized. Native
citizens may fill any office; naturalized citizens
may be elected or appointed to any office under the
Constitution of the United States, except the office
of president and vice-president. The Constitution
provides, that 'the citizens of each state shall be
entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens
in the several states.' Art. 4, s. 2.
Obs. All natives are not citizens of the United States;
the descendants of the aborigines, and those of African
origin, are not entitled to the rights of citizens.
Anterior to the adoption of the Constitution of the
United States each state had the right to make citizens
of such persons as it pleased. That Constitution does
not authorize any but white persons to become citizens
of the United States; and it must therefore be presumed
that no one is a citizen who is not white.
A citizen of the United States residing in any state
of the Union is a citizen of that state.
