I am extremely lucky in that my citizenship was given to me at my first breath. Others make the conscious decision to become citizens.* I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to give up the country of your birth and attempt to make a new life in a new land. On more than one occasion, I've heard immigrants say that coming to the United States was the best thing they ever did, but that they would never stop thinking it was funny to need a passport to return to the land of their birth.
Becoming a U.S. citizen isn't easy. Even if you're lucky enough to already speak English, you still have to learn about our government's structure and workings, our history, and our culture. You have to undergo background and criminal checks, and have to stay out of trouble for years in order to qualify. You must also undergo an examination of your knowledge of our country.
Someone provided me with a link to a practice exam on-line. It's instructive, as a citizen, to take it. We give every person born here citizenship, but unless they go to an old fashioned school that still requires civics courses, we never expect them to be able to defend their knowledge of our country. I know that poll tests are a bad thing, but it might not be a bad idea if everyone prove that they know something about our government before they serve on a jury or vote. They test us before they give us a driver's license, why not a ballot or jury slip?
Anyway, enjoy. I got a 94%, and I'm curious how you all did.
*And bless them, every one. Without the multiple waves of immigrants from around the world, the stew in the American melting pot would be pretty bland.
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