Revisiting the Constitution: Allow Naturalized Citizens to Be President

Assignment #4

Last week, millions of Americans recited these grand words: “All men are created equal.” Today, this glittering promise means far more than it meant in 1776. “Men” now includes “women,” and a black baby born today is the legal equal of a white baby. First-born children get no larger automatic inheritances than second-born kids, and America is fast approaching a time when those born gay have all the rights of those born straight.

But those American citizens who happen to have been born abroad to non-American parents — and who later choose to become “naturalized” American citizens — are not the full legal equals of those of us born in the U.S. True, naturalized Americans have always been allowed to serve as cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices, senators and governors. And at the founding, anyone already a citizen could be president, regardless of birthplace. (Alexander Hamilton, for example, though born in the West Indies, was fully eligible to serve as president under the Constitution he himself helped draft.) But modern-day naturalized citizens are barred from the presidency simply because they were born in the wrong place to the wrong parents.

    I choose this passage because I complete agree with the author. If the United States believes that all men are created equality, than why not make them equal for everything. Not just for the things that seem convenient. I personality think this idea that just because you are born into a country, you are automatically consider to be better and qualify for certain positions. If a child is brought to a new country as a toddler, how can he or she not feel as a born citizen to the country. the child was raised here for his entire life and does not know anything else besides the american culture.In addition, what if a "naturalized" born citizen does have any intentions about becoming the next secretary or the next president. Meanwhile this right is denied to someone else who is interested in completing this task simply because they were as the author says "born in the wrong place or to the wrong parents". In addition, the author also makes a good point when he mentions that America has always kept up to date with other issues like equal rights between men and women, so why not keep up to date with such an important issue that has been happening for a long time. 

The Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

    To my understanding, the passage focuses on the power the people have over the government. This also focuses on equality of all human beings and that everyone deserves happiness. This declaration of independence is here to remind us that we have gained freedom and that it is our duty to decide how the government is run. It mentions that people have the power to change a government if it is not giving us satisfaction. Although the declaration of independence states that the people have the power most of us know this is not true. That we cannot just simply change the government even though we see injustice being done.

     The reason why I choose this passage is because of the meaning it holds. From what I understand about the declaration of independence people have the duty to rule how a government runs. However this is rarely done and in a way I understand why so many people have lost interest on seeing how much power we are suppose to have. This passage represents freedom and happiness and it expresses the right of the people to demand a government that provides this for us. Overall, this is very important for us to know, it is information that everyone should know. Everyone should know what the country stands for and what are our responsibilities as citizens of the country.

                                Trans-National America
 "Only America, by reason of the unique liberty of opportunity and traditional isolation for which she seems to stand, can lead in this cosmopolitan enterprise. Only the American--and in this category I include the migratory alien who has lived with us and caught the pioneer "spirit and a sense of new social vistas--has the chance to become that citizen of the world. America is coming to be, not a nationality but a transnationality, a weaving back and forth, with the other lands, of many threads of all sizes and colors. Any movement which attempts to thwart this weaving, or to dye the fabric any one color, or disentangle the threads of the strands, is false to this cosmopolitan vision. I do not mean that we shall necessarily glut ourselves with the raw product of humanity. It would he folly to absorb the nations faster than we could weave them. We have no duty either to admit or reject. It is purely a question of expediency. What concerns us is the fact that the strands are here. We must have a policy and an ideal for an actual situation. Our question is, What shall we do with our America? How are we likely to get the more creative America by confining our imaginations to the ideal of the melting-pot, or broadening them to some such cosmopolitan conception as I have been vaguely sketching?" 

     I choose the above paragraph because the author makes various interesting points in this passage. Starting with the usage of the cosmopolitan word. I believe the use of the word fits the America society perfectly. We are combined of so many different cultures, languages and people that indeed we are a cosmopolitan country. In addition, The author mentions that only America, can be a cosmopolitan enterprise because of what America stands for such as liberty. I totally agree with the author many people here have come and are coming because of the freedom this country stands for. Since America has such strong values, people tend to think of America as the only way out of their suffering. To add, the author also mentions that America cannot be viewed as a nationally anymore but instead as a transnationality.  I couldn't agree more. We should identify ourselves as a transnationality nation because of all the cultures we are involved with, the cultures from our ancestors and the cultures we will keep on gaining in the future.This nation is becoming a wave of people entering and exiting the country for various reasons.  And in my opinion it is going to take a lot of power to change this. therefore we can not just simply say we belong to one single  Lastly, he ends the passage by asking  many questions such as, "what shall we do with America and how can we shape America to this idea of the melting pot or to broadening them to a cosmopolitan conception as the author has been sketching?" In my opinion The first question "what should we do with America" has  tried to be answered, however, all the ways in which they have tried to solved this has been a failure. America will continue to be a transnationality nation as long as America is view as the land of opportunities there is not much anyone can do to stop this.