The most important thing any new citizen should know or be able to do is understand and embrace the core principles of American democracy, including freedom, equality, and civic participation.

1. Unit 2.3 – Becoming a Citizen
Daily Sheet 1

2. Learning Objective (Write Down)
• Explain how one becomes a citizen of
the United States by birth or by choice.
• Process of Naturalization

3. Do Now (Write Down)
• Naturalization: A legal process to
obtain citizenship
• Citizenship: Being a member of a
country with rights, responsibilities and
duties

4. How does one become a citizen?
• Via citizenship.

5. How to become a citizen
• By Birth
• Be born in the United States
• Unless you were born to foreign diplomats
(govt. representative)
• Follows the principle of Jus Soli which is
Latin for “law of the soil”

6. How to become a citizen
• If your parents are American citizens but
you are born outside of the US
• At least 1 parent must have been a legal
resident of the US or its territories

7. How to become a citizen?
• If only 1 parent is a citizen, then that parent
must have lived in the US or territory for at
least 5 years, 2 of which occur after the age of
14
• Follows the principle of Jus Sanguinis which is
Latin for “law of blood”

8. How to become a citizen
• By Choice
• Must go through Naturalization
• Naturalized citizens cannot be president or
vice president

9. Naturalization Qualifications
Qualifications:
• 1. Applicants must have entered the
US legally
• 2. They must be of good moral
character
• 3. They must declare their support of
the principles of American govt.

10. Naturalization Qualifications
• 4. They must prove they can read,
write, and speak English
• If they are over 50 and lived in US for 20
years, they are exempt from English
requirement
• 5. They must demonstrate basic
knowledge of US history and govt.
(Pass a citizenship test)

11. Sample Questions
• What is the name of the national
anthem?
a) America the Beautiful
b) God Bless the U.S.A.
c) The Star-Spangled Banner
d) My Country Tis of Thee

12. Sample Questions
• What is the name of the national
anthem?
a) America the Beautiful
b) God Bless the U.S.A.
c) The Star-Spangled Banner
d) My Country Tis of Thee

13. Sample Questions
• How old do citizens have to be to vote
for the President?
a) 18 yrs. +
b) 35 yrs. +
c) 16 yrs. +
d) 21 yrs. +

14. Sample Questions
• How old do citizens have to be to vote
for the President?
a) 18 yrs. +
b) 35 yrs. +
c) 16 yrs. +
d) 21 yrs. +

15. Sample Questions
• What is freedom of religion?
a) You can't choose the time you
practice your religion.
b) No one can practice a religion.
c) You must choose a religion.
d) You can practice any religion, or
not practice a religion.

16. Sample Questions
• What is freedom of religion?
a) You can't choose the time you
practice your religion.
b) No one can practice a religion.
c) You must choose a religion.
d) You can practice any religion, or
not practice a religion.

17. Sample Questions
• Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
a) all people of the state who belong
to the Senator's political party
b) only the people in the state who
voted for the Senator
c) the state legislatures
d) all people of the state

18. Sample Questions
• Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
a) all people of the state who belong
to the Senator's political party
b) only the people in the state who
voted for the Senator
c) the state legislatures
d) all people of the state

19. Sample Questions
• Who vetoes bills?
a) the President Pro Tempore
b) the Speaker of the House
c) the Vice President
d) the President

20. Sample Questions
• Who vetoes bills?
a) the President Pro Tempore
b) the Speaker of the House
c) the Vice President
d) the President

21. Sample Questions
• The Federalist Papers supported the
passage of the U.S. Constitution.
Name one of the writers.
a) George Washington
b) John Adams
c) Thomas Jefferson
d) James Madison

22. Sample Questions
• The Federalist Papers supported the
passage of the U.S. Constitution.
Name one of the writers.
a) George Washington
b) John Adams
c) Thomas Jefferson
d) James Madison

23. Who Can’t be Naturalized
• Draft dodgers, military deserters,
polygamists, anarchists, Communists, or
followers of any other totalitarian system will
be denied citizenship.

24. Steps to Citizenship
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must have lived in the US as a lawfully
admitted resident alien for 30 months
out of the previous 5 years
• Must have lived in the state where the
petition is filed for at least 3 months
• If married to a citizen you need only 3
years of residency

25. Video Response
• After witnessing such miserable
attempts at answering the questions
presented on the citizenship test, what
is the most important thing that any
new citizen of the United States should
know or be able to do?