Compose a complete 20-question citizenship exam as if you worked for the Bureau of Naturalization in 1918. In other words, for the purposes of the first part of this project, pretend that you are a native-born white male Protestant middle-class bureaucrat in 1918 who has the power to decide if an immigrant applicant has Americanized sufficiently to become a U.S. citizen. Your exam must capture the cultural values and core knowledge presented in Student’s Textbook (1918). Some but not all of your questions must concern history (i.e., the version of U.S. history presented in the 1918 textbook).
Citizenship Exam
Who is the current President of the United States?
What are the first ten amendments of the Constitution called?
How many articles are contained in the Constitution?
What is the form of the American government?
What is the process of becoming a citizen called?
Which country was protested against during the revolution?
How many nations existed under the Articles of Confederation?
What year was the constitutional convention held?
What are the two houses of Congress?
Who is the head of the American government?
Who is the head of the Department of War?
What class of postage embraces circulars and other printed matter on paper?
Which department of the governments studies the needs of the farmer?
Which service of the government allows America to give its citizens free use of its natural resources?
Who presides over the judicial branch of government?
What city is the capital of the nation?
Who is responsible for the children, cooking, cleaning and laundering in a home?
What color of flame must a gas burner have to be at the right temperature?
What laws must be obeyed to keep blood pure and organs of the body sound?
Writing as a student in HIS 104, make a comparative analysis (1–2 pages) of the 1918 textbook, the 1986 questions, and the 2008 questions. What are the similarities and differences? What do these study guides say about how America has changed (and/or not changed) over the last 100 years and especially the last 20 years?
The 1918 questions had very limited questions about United States history and civics. An applicant could simply memorize the easy questions contained on the test in order to pass. Instead of having to know what liberty meant, applicants only had to know that liberty was part of the Declaration of Independence. Additionally, applicants only had to know one right contained in the First Amendment, not even what the right meant. Additionally, the 1918 textbook simply focused on learning the American language – reading, writing and conversation. Teaching a foreign language was the focus. American math and the coinage system was a couple of the sections that new citizens had to know. The textbook taught the story of America – what the flag means, how the government is arranged. The history it teaches is about America’s discovery (how founded America and who was George Washington) and the life of political leaders as well as other leaders (who was Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.).
The 1996 questions focused more on the history of the government and how the government works. For example, questions required knowledge of the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. There was no longer any focus on simply teaching the American language, but rather expecting the applicant to have general knowledge about the United States.
The 2008 questions ask more than simple questions that can be memorized. The test is very similar to the 1996 questions. It seems that the only difference is that it provides more multiple choice questions. The questions, also unlike the 1918 textbook, has more focus on American history. History about America’s founding, the significant presidents, the wars, and the civil rights movement.
Compose a formal memo (1–2 pages) as if you worked as an advisor in the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan public policy think tank that advises the U.S. Congress. In your memo, make an argument for revising and improving the current citizenship test, especially its history component.
RE: Citizenship Test
The history component of the current citizenship test should be revised not only to reflect current and more recent history but also to provide questions that require thinking rather than memorization only. Providing a test that only requires individuals to memorize the answers does not teach them what should be known about civics and history in America. The history component should understand the ideals behind the wars fought by American as well as the ideals behind significant governmental changes made in America. With knowledge of these components of American history, applicants for citizenship would not only better understand America as a whole but would require them to understand American ideals. Simply requiring immigrants to know facts does not enable them to understand America.
Additionally, the 2008 questions should be revised to include requirements that the English language be understood to a significant degree. Rather than allowing immigrants to learn only simple facts, immigrants should be required to speak, read and write the English language.
Citizenship requires more than knowing and memorizing facts. For this reasons, the citizenship test should be revised to require applicants to not only know and understand American history and the workings of American government, it should require them to understand the language and its use as well.
History Section Study Guide
Citizen applicants should be aware of the founding of America, who was involved in bringing drafting the early documents establishing the United States and what philosophical concepts the new country was intended to base upon. Applicants need to know the importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of the Confederation and the Constitution of the United States. New citizens should be familiar with the components of the Constitution, as well as the information contained therein. Knowledge of all wars fought in U.S. History should be gained by applicants, including the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean and Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. Additionally, applicants need to be familiar with the conflicts with the Middle East beginning with the Persian Gulf War to today. Also in the history section, applicants should be familiar with many of the Presidents of the United States to include their accomplishments. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy are the minimum. Applicants also need to be aware of the New Deal, McCarthyism, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Affordable Care Act.
Some of the questions may include the following:
What was the Declaration of Independence?
A declaration to Britain and the world that America wanted to become its own country
Why did the early leaders want to amend the Articles of Confederation?
Because it did not provide for a strong central government which was needed at the time
What is the Bill of Rights?
The first ten amendment of the constitution that provides individual rights to citizens
Explain Abraham Lincoln’s major accomplishment while a President?
The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery.
What is the importance of the 19th Amendment?
Women were given the right to vote
Why did America not want to fight in World War I?
America wanted to remain neutrality due to the diversity of American citizens
What event initiated America’s involvement in World War II?
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese
How and why did the Cold War begin and end?
America feared the spread of Communism by Russia
Those who sought equality in the 1960’s was part of __________________________.
Civil Rights Movement
What was Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech about?
Equality for African Americans
What happened on 9/11/01?
Terrorists hijacked American planes and drove two into the World Trade Center buildings, one into the Pentagon and a third was intended to target the White House but crashed in Pennsylvania
Finally, using your personal voice, write an op-ed commentary (~500 words). Pretend that you have been asked by the New York Times to give your educated opinion on this contention: “Federal law should require that all natural-born U.S. citizens, as a prerequisite to voting, pass the same test required of all immigrants as a prerequisite to citizenship.” Do you agree or disagree, partially or wholly? If you happen to be a foreign exchange student, or a first- or second-generation immigrant, or someone with dual citizenship, etc., feel free to use that perspective in your opinion piece.
The naturalization test should be the same test for all applicants. This would ensure that new citizens equally know the history and government of the United States. Having separate tests for immigrants does not provide consistency and does not ensure that new citizens know what needs to be understood as a citizen.
Consistency is important in teaching and learning. Students across American learn the same historical facts about America. Students learn in grade school and middle school about the founding of America, the Declaration of Intendance and the Constitution. If students are taught different things about America, citizens would not have the same understanding of the government. For example, if some students were taught only about the Constitution and very little bit about the Declaration of Independence, there would be a large missing link about the founding of the government, and what was actually missing in the Declaration that needed to be amended. Without the same understanding of America, and how and why it became what it is today, there would be no unity, and unity is one concept that America is based upon. It allows for common support of the national as well as patriotism.
Children are provided with a public education that ensures awareness of the country’s history, the operation of the government, and the interrelationship of the government with itself and other countries. These are the basic requirements that a person living and participating in society needs to know. All citizens of the United States should be aware of our form of government, the branches of government, and how citizens participate in government. Without this knowledge, an individual would be and feel separated from citizens of this country. Providing citizenship is not only allowing an individual to live in the country but it also is meant to allow the individual to actually become part of the society.
