Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state .
82-471: Birthright is the concept of things being due to a person upon or by fact of their birth, or due to the order of their birth. These may include rights of citizenship based on the place where the person was born or the citizenship of their parents , and inheritance rights to property owned by parents or others. The concept of a birthright is ancient, and is often defined in part with concepts of both patriarchy and birth order . For example, "[t]hroughout
164-466: A civitas and the social class of the burgher or bourgeoisie . Since then states have expanded the status of citizenship to most of their national people , while the extent of citizen rights remain contested. Conceptually citizenship and nationality are different dimensions of state membership. Citizenship is focused on the internal political life of the state and nationality is the dimension of state membership in international law . Article 15 of
246-542: A U.S. citizen for three years or more may apply in three years. Those who have served in the armed forces may qualify for an expedited process allowing citizenship after only one year, or even without any residence requirement. Full permanent residence rights are granted automatically between the following: In some cases (e.g. the member states of the European Union ), citizens of participating countries can live and work at will in each other's states, but don't have
328-411: A bond, citizenship extends beyond basic kinship ties to unite people of different genetic backgrounds. It usually signifies membership in a political body. It is often based on or was a result of, some form of military service or expectation of future service. It usually involves some form of political participation, but this can vary from token acts to active service in government. It generally describes
410-523: A certain type of employment or maintenance of a business. Many countries have compulsory military service for citizens. Some countries, such as Singapore, extend this to permanent residents. However, in Singapore, most first generation permanent residents are exempted, and only their sons are held liable for national service. In a similar approach, the United States has Selective Service ,
492-429: A citizen on a number of bases. Every citizen has obligations that are required by law and some responsibilities that benefit the community. Obeying the laws of a country and paying taxes are some of the obligations required of citizens by law. Voting and community services form part of responsibilities of a citizen that benefits the community. The Constitution of Ghana (1992), Article 41, obligates citizens to promote
574-665: A citizen thereof." Under early U.S. laws, African Americans were not eligible for citizenship. In 1857, these laws were upheld in the US Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford , which ruled that "a free negro of the African race, whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves, is not a 'citizen' within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States," and that "the special rights and immunities guaranteed to citizens do not apply to them." It
656-400: A compulsory registration for military service, which is required of all male citizens and permanent residents ages 18 to 26; this requirement theoretically applies even to those residing in the country illegally. Applications for citizenship may be denied or otherwise impeded if the applicant cannot prove having complied with this requirement. Permanent residents may be required to reside in
738-413: A country are usually issued some sort of documentary evidence as legal proof of this status. In the past, many countries merely stamped the person's passport indicating that the holder was admitted as a permanent resident or that he/she was exempt from immigration control and permitted to work without restriction. Other countries would issue a photo ID card, place a visa sticker or certificate of residence in
820-690: A distinct Canadian Citizenship , automatically conferred upon most individuals born in Canada, with some exceptions, and defined the conditions under which one could become a naturalized citizen. The concept of Commonwealth citizenship was introduced in 1948 in the British Nationality Act 1948 . Other dominions adopted this principle such as New Zealand , by way of the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 . Citizenship most usually relates to membership of
902-466: A feature of English common law . Calvin's Case , was particularly important as it established that, under English common law, "a person's status was vested at birth, and based upon place of birth—a person born within the king's dominion owed allegiance to the sovereign, and in turn, was entitled to the king's protection." This same principle was accepted by the United States as being "ancient and fundamental", i.e., well-established common law, as stated by
SECTION 10
#1732780785979984-468: A few hundred years and, for humanity, that the concept of citizenship arose with the first laws . Polis meant both the political assembly of the city-state as well as the entire society. Citizenship concept has generally been identified as a western phenomenon. There is a general view that citizenship in ancient times was a simpler relation than modern forms of citizenship, although this view has come under scrutiny. The relation of citizenship has not been
1066-472: A fixed or static relation but constantly changed within each society, and that according to one view, citizenship might "really have worked" only at select periods during certain times, such as when the Athenian politician Solon made reforms in the early Athenian state. Citizenship was also contingent on a variety of biopolitical assemblages, such as the bioethics of emerging Theo-Philosophical traditions. It
1148-491: A legal member of a specific nation. Modern citizenship has often been looked at as two competing underlying ideas: Responsibilities of citizens Responsibility is an action that individuals of a state or country must take note of in the interest of a common good. These responsibilities can be categorised into personal and civic responsibilities . Scholars suggest that the concept of citizenship contains many unresolved issues, sometimes called tensions, existing within
1230-548: A less discriminatory system. The 1918 constitution of revolutionary Russia granted citizenship to any foreigners who were living within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , so long as they were "engaged in work and [belonged] to the working class." It recognized "the equal rights of all citizens, irrespective of their racial or national connections" and declared oppression of any minority group or race "to be contrary to
1312-580: A limited right to free movement and residence in the Member States other than that of which the European Union citizen is a national. Articles 18-21 and 225 provide certain political rights. Union citizens have also extensive rights to move in order to exercise economic activity in any of the Member States which predate the introduction of Union citizenship. Citizenship of the Mercosur
1394-467: A naturalized citizen. The Naturalization Act of 1790 , the first law in U.S. history to establish rules for citizenship and naturalization, barred citizenship to all people who were not of European descent, stating that "any alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, maybe admitted to becoming
1476-536: A particular locality, as well as membership in a mercantile or trading class; thus, individuals of respectable means and socioeconomic status were interchangeable with citizens. During this era, members of the nobility had a range of privileges above commoners (see aristocracy ), though political upheavals and reforms, beginning most prominently with the French Revolution , abolished privileges and created an egalitarian concept of citizenship. During
1558-550: A peer educational trip or study program past the age of 18 nor have lived in Israel past the age of 12. Citizenship Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term citizenship to refer to nationality ; these two notions are conceptually different dimensions of collective membership. Generally citizenships have no expiration and allow persons to work , reside and vote in
1640-468: A period of permanent residency (typically five years) in the country concerned. Dual/multiple citizenship may or may not be permitted. In many nations, an application for naturalization can be denied on character grounds, sometimes allowing people to reside in the country (as non-domiciled) but not become citizens. In the United States, the residency requirements for citizenship are normally five years, even though permanent residents who have been married to
1722-400: A permanent resident, as EU legislation allows an EU national who moves to another EU country to attain permanent resident status after residing there for five years. The European Union also sets out permanent residency rights for long-term resident third country nationals under directive (2003/109/EC). A novel approach was the granting of rights across the national borders of states adhering to
SECTION 20
#17327807859791804-428: A person with legal rights within a given political order. It almost always has an element of exclusion, meaning that some people are not citizens and that this distinction can sometimes be very important, or not important, depending on a particular society. Citizenship as a concept is generally hard to isolate intellectually and compare with related political notions since it relates to many other aspects of society such as
1886-420: A political one. For further information, see History of citizenship . Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and duties . In this sense, citizenship was described as "a bundle of rights -- primarily, political participation in the life of the community, the right to vote, and the right to receive certain protection from the community, as well as obligations." Citizenship
1968-430: A right of abode automatically grants people permanent residency. This status also gives work permit in most cases. In many Western countries, the status of permanent resident confers a right of abode upon the holder despite not being a citizen of the particular country. Not every nation allows permanent residency. Rights and application may vary widely. All European Union countries have a facility for someone to become
2050-400: A special elite status, and it can also be seen as a democratizing force and something that everybody has; the concept can include both senses. According to sociologist Arthur Stinchcombe , citizenship is based on the extent that a person can control one's own destiny within the group in the sense of being able to influence the government of the group. One last distinction within citizenship
2132-697: A status fully equivalent to that of a permanent resident. In particular, under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, Australia and New Zealand grant each other's citizens the right to reside permanently and work in each country; however, the rights and entitlements of New Zealanders living in Australia under this arrangement (the so-called Special Category Visa ) are somewhat short of those of Australian permanent residents , in particular with respect to unemployment benefits and similar benefits. People who are granted permanent residency in
2214-558: A struggle between the upper-class patrician interests against the lower-order working groups known as the plebeian class. A citizen came to be understood as a person "free to act by law, free to ask and expect the law's protection, a citizen of such and such a legal community, of such and such a legal standing in that community". Citizenship meant having rights to have possessions, immunities, expectations, which were "available in many kinds and degrees, available or unavailable to many kinds of person for many kinds of reason". The law itself
2296-399: A submissive relation with a lord or count, but rather indicated the bond between a person and the state in the rather abstract sense of having rights and duties. The modern idea of citizenship still respects the idea of political participation, but it is usually done through "elaborate systems of political representation at a distance" such as representative democracy . Modern citizenship
2378-432: A subordinate social status but demanded a greater role in the form of citizenship. Membership in guilds was an indirect form of citizenship in that it helped their members succeed financially. The rise of citizenship was linked to the rise of republicanism , according to one account, since independent citizens meant that kings had less power. Citizenship became an idealized, almost abstract, concept, and did not signify
2460-509: Is applied to the totality of the citizens of their constituent countries combined. Citizenship at this level is a secondary concept, with rights deriving from national citizenship. The Maastricht Treaty introduced the concept of citizenship of the European Union . Article 17 (1) of the Treaty on European Union stated that: Citizenship of the Union is hereby established. Every person holding
2542-482: Is demonstrated in the Birthright Israel program, initiated in 1994. The program provides free trips to visit Israel to persons who have at least one parent of recognized Jewish descent, or who have converted to Judaism through a recognized Jewish movement, and who do not actively practice another religion. They must also be between the ages 18 to 32, post-high-school, have neither traveled to Israel before on
Birthright - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-584: Is granted to eligible citizens of the Southern Common Market member states . It was approved in 2010 through the Citizenship Statute and should be fully implemented by the member countries in 2021 when the program will be transformed in an international treaty incorporated into the national legal system of the countries, under the concept of "Mercosur Citizen". The concept of "Commonwealth Citizenship" has been in place ever since
2706-540: Is how the fundamental basis of Swiss citizenship is a citizenship of an individual commune , from which follows citizenship of a canton and of the Confederation. Another example is Åland where the residents enjoy special provincial citizenship within Finland , hembygdsrätt . Permanent residency Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person
2788-418: Is much more passive; action is delegated to others; citizenship is often a constraint on acting, not an impetus to act. Nevertheless, citizens are usually aware of their obligations to authorities and are aware that these bonds often limit what they can do. From 1790 until the mid-twentieth century, United States law used racial criteria to establish citizenship rights and regulate who was eligible to become
2870-432: Is my birthright and I shall have it." The term then "attained the status of a political slogan". In the context of the rights of citizenship, "[t]he term birthright signals not only that membership is acquired at birth or on grounds of birth, but also that membership is presumptively a lifelong status for the individual and continuous across generations for the citizenry as a collective". Birthright citizenship has long been
2952-415: Is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such legal status is known as a permanent resident. Permanent residency itself is distinct from right of abode , which waives immigration control for such persons. Persons having permanent residency still require immigration control if they do not have right of abode. However,
3034-633: Is seen by most scholars as culture-specific, in the sense that the meaning of the term varies considerably from culture to culture, and over time. In China , for example, there is a cultural politics of citizenship which could be called "peopleship", argued by an academic article. How citizenship is understood depends on the person making the determination. The relation of citizenship has never been fixed or static, but constantly changes within each society. While citizenship has varied considerably throughout history, and within societies over time, there are some common elements but they vary considerably as well. As
3116-430: Is the so-called consent descent distinction, and this issue addresses whether citizenship is a fundamental matter determined by a person choosing to belong to a particular nation––by their consent––or is citizenship a matter of where a person was born––that is, by their descent. Some intergovernmental organizations have extended the concept and terminology associated with citizenship to the international level, where it
3198-489: The Bible the concept of a birthright is absolutely intertwined with the firstborn . That is, the firstborn inherits the birthright and has expectations of primogeniture ", which historically referred to the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relative. In
3280-536: The Blue Card ( Mavi Kart ), which gives most of the citizens' rights back, e.g. the right to live and work in Turkey, the right to possess land or the right to inherit, but not the right to vote or the right to be employed as a public servant. Some countries have made treaties regulating travel and access to the job markets (non-government/non-military-related work) However, for voting, being voted and working for
3362-620: The Naturalization Act of 1870 would extend the right to become a naturalized citizen to include "aliens of African nativity and to persons of African descent". Despite the gains made by African Americans after the Civil War, Native Americans , Asians , and others not considered "free white persons" were still denied the ability to become citizens. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act explicitly denied naturalization rights to all people of Chinese origin, while subsequent acts passed by
Birthright - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-509: The Renaissance , people transitioned from being subjects of a king or queen to being citizens of a city and later to a nation. Each city had its own law, courts, and independent administration. And being a citizen often meant being subject to the city's law in addition to having power in some instances to help choose officials. City dwellers who had fought alongside nobles in battles to defend their cities were no longer content with having
3526-669: The United Kingdom . Canada departed from the principle of nationality being defined in terms of allegiance in 1921. In 1935 the Irish Free State was the first to introduce its own citizenship. However, Irish citizens were still treated as subjects of the Crown , and they are still not regarded as foreign, even though Ireland is not a member of the Commonwealth. The Canadian Citizenship Act of 1946 provided for
3608-572: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to nationality. As such nationality in international law can be called and understood as citizenship, or more generally as subject or belonging to a sovereign state , and not as ethnicity. This notwithstanding, around 10 million people are stateless . Today, the concept of full citizenship encompasses not only active political rights, but full civil rights and social rights . A person can be recognized as
3690-414: The family , military service , the individual, freedom , religion , ideas of right, and wrong , ethnicity , and patterns for how a person should behave in society. When there are many different groups within a nation, citizenship may be the only real bond that unites everybody as equals without discrimination—it is a "broad bond" linking "a person with the state" and gives people a universal identity as
3772-459: The German government passed a law that entitled victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants to become naturalised German citizens. The primary principles of Israeli citizenship is jus sanguinis (citizenship by descent) for Jews and jus soli (citizenship by place of birth) for others. Many theorists suggest that there are two opposing conceptions of citizenship: an economic one, and
3854-767: The Supreme Court in its 1898 interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in United States v. Wong Kim Ark : "the Fourteenth Amendment affirms the ancient and fundamental rule of citizenship by birth within the territory, in the allegiance and under the protection of the country, including all children here born of resident aliens, with the exceptions or qualifications (as old as
3936-547: The UK. The most common method for obtaining a golden visa is through the purchase of real estate with a minimum value. Some countries such as Cyprus and Malta also offer golden passports to individuals if they invest a certain sum. The issuing of so-called "golden visas" has sparked controversy in several countries. Since the 1990s, some countries have begun to offer golden passports - which give citizenship as well as residency rights - to foreign nationals who invest (often through
4018-648: The US Congress, such as laws in 1906 , 1917 , and 1924 , would include clauses that denied immigration and naturalization rights to people based on broadly defined racial categories. Supreme Court cases such as Ozawa v. the United States (1922) and U.S. v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923), would later clarify the meaning of the phrase "free white persons," ruling that ethnically Japanese, Indian, and other non-European people were not "white persons", and were therefore ineligible for naturalization under U.S. law. Native Americans were not granted full US citizenship until
4100-532: The act still contained restrictions regarding who was eligible for US citizenship and retained a national quota system which limited the number of visas given to immigrants based on their national origin, to be fixed "at a rate of one-sixth of one percent of each nationality's population in the United States in 1920". It was not until the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 that these immigration quota systems were drastically altered in favor of
4182-437: The citizens of the community. This was not a problem because they all had a strong affinity with the polis; their own destiny and the destiny of the community were strongly linked. Also, citizens of the polis saw obligations to the community as an opportunity to be virtuous, it was a source of honor and respect. In Athens, citizens were both rulers and ruled, important political and judicial offices were rotated and all citizens had
SECTION 50
#17327807859794264-608: The country offering them residence for a given minimum length of time (as in Australia and Canada). Permanent residents may lose their status if they stay outside their host country for more than a specified period of time (as in the United States). Permanent residents have the same obligations as citizens regarding taxes. Permanent residents may lose their status if they fail to comply with Residency or other obligations imposed on them. For example: Usually, permanent residents may apply for citizenship by naturalization after
4346-606: The country: India does not permit dual citizenship, but former Indian citizens, and persons of Indian origin, are eligible to apply for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card that allows them to live and work freely in India, apart from running for certain political office posts and occupying constitutional posts. They also cannot vote or buy agricultural land. Spouses who have no other connection to India other than being married to someone with or eligible for OCI can also apply for OCI if they have been married for at least two years. Once
4428-661: The directive. As for Hong Kong and Macau, both special administrative regions of China , they do not have their own citizenship laws, the term "permanent residents" refer to persons with the right of abode in these territories. Most permanent residents of Chinese descent are Chinese citizens according to Chinese nationality law . Other countries have varying forms of such residency and relationships with other countries with regards to permanent residency. The countries and territories that have some type of permanent resident status include: Some countries grant residency and other specific rights to former citizens or persons of origin in
4510-733: The establishment of the Commonwealth of Nations . As with the EU, one holds Commonwealth citizenship only by being a citizen of a Commonwealth member state. This form of citizenship offers certain privileges within some Commonwealth countries: Although Ireland was excluded from the Commonwealth in 1949 because it declared itself a republic, Ireland is generally treated as if it were still a member. Legislation often specifically provides for equal treatment between Commonwealth countries and Ireland and refers to "Commonwealth countries and Ireland". Ireland's citizens are not classified as foreign nationals in
4592-529: The fundamental laws of the Republic." The 1918 constitution also established the right to vote and be elected to soviets for both men and women "irrespective of religion, nationality, domicile, etc. [...] who shall have completed their eighteenth year by the day of the election." The later constitutions of the USSR would grant universal Soviet citizenship to the citizens of all member republics in concord with
4674-683: The importance of freedom . Hosking explained: It can be argued that this growth of slavery was what made Greeks particularly conscious of the value of freedom. After all, any Greek farmer might fall into debt and therefore might become a slave, at almost any time ... When the Greeks fought together, they fought in order to avoid being enslaved by warfare, to avoid being defeated by those who might take them into slavery. And they also arranged their political institutions so as to remain free men. Slavery permitted slave-owners to have substantial free time and enabled participation in public life. Polis citizenship
4756-534: The marriage is dissolved, OCI status is automatically lost for spouse with no connection to India. In 2016, India allowed Permanent Resident Status to foreigners with some conditions. Turkey allows dual citizenship, and former Turkish citizens by birth who have given up their Turkish citizenship with permission (for example, because they have naturalized in a country that usually does not permit dual citizenship, such as Austria, Germany, Japan or South Korea) and their descendants subject to certain conditions, can apply for
4838-421: The modern western conception. The obligations of citizenship were deeply connected with everyday life. To be truly human, one had to be an active citizen to the community, which Aristotle famously expressed: "To take no part in the running of the community's affairs is to be either a beast or a god!" This form of citizenship was based on the obligations of citizens towards the community, rather than rights given to
4920-624: The nation's boundaries who did not fit the racial criteria for citizenship. Subjects would have no voting rights, could not hold any position within the state, and possessed none of the other rights and civic responsibilities conferred on citizens. All women were to be conferred "subject" status upon birth, and could only obtain "citizen" status if they worked independently or if they married a German citizen (see women in Nazi Germany ). The final category, aliens, referred to those who were citizens of another state, who also had no rights. In 2021,
5002-421: The nation-state, but the term can also apply at the subnational level. Subnational entities may impose requirements, of residency or otherwise, which permit citizens to participate in the political life of that entity or to enjoy benefits provided by the government of that entity. But in such cases, those eligible are also sometimes seen as "citizens" of the relevant state, province, or region. An example of this
SECTION 60
#17327807859795084-458: The nationality of a Member State shall be a citizen of the Union. Citizenship of the Union shall be additional to and not replace national citizenship. An agreement is known as the amended EC Treaty established certain minimal rights for European Union citizens. Article 12 of the amended EC Treaty guaranteed a general right of non-discrimination within the scope of the Treaty. Article 18 provided
5166-531: The passage of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. However, even well into the 1960s, some state laws prevented Native Americans from exercising their full rights as citizens, such as the right to vote. In 1962, New Mexico became the last state to enfranchise Native Americans. It was not until the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that the racial and gender restrictions for naturalization were explicitly abolished. However,
5248-464: The person's passport, or issue a letter to confirm their permanent resident status. The European Union Settlement Scheme is a scheme launched in 2019 by the UK Home Office to process the registration of EU citizens resident in the United Kingdom prior to its departure from the European Union . Successful applicants receive either 'Pre-settled status' or 'Settled status', depending on
5330-402: The polis. These small-scale organic communities were generally seen as a new development in world history, in contrast to the established ancient civilizations of Egypt or Persia, or the hunter-gatherer bands elsewhere. From the viewpoint of the ancient Greeks, a person's public life could not be separated from their private life, and Greeks did not distinguish between the two worlds according to
5412-492: The polity, as well as identify with the polity, possibly acquiring a passport . Though through discriminatory laws, like disfranchisement and outright apartheid citizens have been made second-class citizens . Historically, populations of states were mostly subjects , while citizenship was a particular status which originated in the rights of urban populations, like the rights of the male public of cities and republics , particularly ancient city-states , giving rise to
5494-468: The prestige and good name of Ghana and respect the symbols of Ghana. Examples of national symbols includes the Ghanaian flag, coat of arms, money, and state sword. These national symbols must be treated with respect and high esteem by citizens since they best represent Ghanaians. Apart from responsibilities, citizens also have rights. Some of the rights are the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness,
5576-511: The principles of equality under the law , civic participation in government, and notions that "no one citizen should have too much power for too long", but Rome offered relatively generous terms to its captives, including chances for lesser forms of citizenship. If Greek citizenship was an "emancipation from the world of things", the Roman sense increasingly reflected the fact that citizens could act upon material things as well as other citizens, in
5658-428: The principles of non-discrimination laid out in the original 1918 constitution of Russia. Nazism , the German variant of twentieth-century fascism, classified inhabitants of the country into three main hierarchical categories, each of which would have different rights in relation to the state: citizens, subjects, and aliens. The first category, citizens, were to possess full civic rights and responsibilities. Citizenship
5740-541: The public sector or the national security in a country, citizenship of the country concerned is almost always required. A " golden visa " is a permanent residency visa issued to individuals who invest, often through the purchase of property, a certain sum of money into the issuing country. Dating back to the 1980s, golden visas became much more popular and available in the 21st century. Golden visas require investments of anywhere from $ 100,000 in Dominica up to £2,000,000 in
5822-528: The purchase of real estate properties) a certain sum into the issuing country's economy. The issuing of EU passports by Cyprus and Malta has sparked controversy but is expected to produce billions of euros in revenue for the issuing countries. Depending on the country, permanent residents usually have the same rights as citizens except for the following: Permanent residents may be required to fulfill specific residence obligations to maintain their status. In some cases, permanent residency may be conditional on
5904-583: The relation, that continue to reflect uncertainty about what citizenship is supposed to mean. Some unresolved issues regarding citizenship include questions about what is the proper balance between duties and rights . Another is a question about what is the proper balance between political citizenship versus social citizenship. Some thinkers see benefits with people being absent from public affairs, since too much participation such as revolution can be destructive, yet too little participation such as total apathy can be problematic as well. Citizenship can be seen as
5986-542: The right to speak and vote in the political assembly. In the Roman Empire , citizenship expanded from small-scale communities to the entirety of the empire. Romans realized that granting citizenship to people from all over the empire legitimized Roman rule over conquered areas. Roman citizenship was no longer a status of political agency, as it had been reduced to a judicial safeguard and the expression of rule and law. Rome carried forth Greek ideas of citizenship such as
6068-408: The right to worship, right to run for elected office and right to express oneself. Many thinkers such as Giorgio Agamben in his work extending the biopolitical framework of Foucault 's History of Sexuality in the book, Homo Sacer , point to the concept of citizenship beginning in the early city-states of ancient Greece , although others see it as primarily a modern phenomenon dating back only
6150-452: The rule itself) of children of foreign sovereigns or their ministers, or born on foreign public ships, or of enemies within and during a hostile occupation of part of our territory, and with the single additional exception of children of members of the Indian tribes owing direct allegiance to their several tribes". The concept of birthright descending from participation in a particular culture
6232-430: The sense of buying or selling property, possessions, titles, goods. One historian explained: The person was defined and represented through his actions upon things; in the course of time, the term property came to mean, first, the defining characteristic of a human or other being; second, the relation which a person had with a thing; and third, the thing defined as the possession of some person. Roman citizenship reflected
6314-420: The seventeenth century, English activist John Lilburne used the term with respect to the rights of Englishmen "to connote all that is due to a citizen" of England, which "is claimed from English law to higher authorities". The term was similarly popularized in India by self-rule advocate Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the 1890s, when Tilak adopted the slogan coined by his associate Kaka Baptista : " Swaraj (self-rule)
6396-517: Was a kind of bond uniting people. Roman citizenship was more impersonal, universal, multiform, having different degrees and applications. During the European Middle Ages , citizenship was usually associated with cities and towns (see medieval commune ), and applied mainly to middle-class folk. Titles such as burgher , grand burgher (German Großbürger ) and the bourgeoisie denoted political affiliation and identity in relation to
6478-519: Was conferred only on males of German (or so-called " Aryan ") heritage who had completed military service, and could be revoked at any time by the state. The Reich Citizenship Law of 1935 established racial criteria for citizenship in the German Reich , and because of this law Jews and others who could not "prove German racial heritage" were stripped of their citizenship. The second category, subjects, referred to all others who were born within
6560-432: Was marked by exclusivity. Inequality of status was widespread; citizens (πολίτης politēs < πόλις 'city') had a higher status than non-citizens, such as women, slaves, and resident foreigners ( metics ). The first form of citizenship was based on the way people lived in the ancient Greek times, in small-scale organic communities of the polis. The obligations of citizenship were deeply connected to one's everyday life in
6642-422: Was necessary to fit Aristotle's definition of the besouled (the animate) to obtain citizenship: neither the sacred olive tree nor spring would have any rights. An essential part of the framework of Greco-Roman ethics is the figure of Homo Sacer or the bare life. Historian Geoffrey Hosking in his 2005 Modern Scholar lecture course suggested that citizenship in ancient Greece arose from an appreciation for
6724-521: Was not until the abolition of slavery following the American Civil War that African Americans were granted citizenship rights. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , ratified on July 9, 1868, stated that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Two years later,
#978021