Struggle - Race & Citizenship

What protections do citizens of the United States have? Citizens have access to many important rights like voting in elections and lobbying the government. 

 Many people are born as US citizens and can freely use these rights throughout their lives. Some immigrants and refugees can become Americans through the process of naturalization. This process can take many years of forms, testing, and often hiring lawyers and others to help. Some people born in the United States have not been granted full citizenship rights or have had their rights taken away due to no fault of their own. Often this inequity has been due to a person’s race or gender.  

 Throughout the nation’s history many people have struggled to become citizens or keep citizenship rights. John and Mary Richardson Jones worked to support citizenship rights for African Americans. Japanese Americans dealt with a system that took away their freedom and citizenship rights.