A Reflection on Citizenship

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In one week from today, I will be sitting on an airplane flying to my home state of New Jersey for the summer vacation. Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect upon my semester in this final blog post. I have truly learned a lot about citizenship from my Citizens! Expository Writing course. Going into this class, I thought of citizenship simply as one's legal status in the United States. However, after reading the historical works of Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and an in-depth analysis of the Declaration of Independence, my view of American citizenship has expanded greatly. I have a new sense of appreciation and value for the foundational principle of equality. Prior to reading Danielle Allen's book, Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, I thought equality meant the same, which gave the principle a negative connotation in my head. Allen's book debunks this perception and shows how we cannot have freedom without equality. Her argument and analysis of the Declaration of Independence have made me fall in love with this foundational document again, and has changed my perspective of American citizenship.

In my studies of American citizenship, I also discovered that being a good citizen means more than just voting in elections. Citizenship entails constant engagement in the democratic process in order to help contribute to the construction and preservation of our nation. If there is an issue you feel needs to be addressed by local, state or federal government, you must take a stand and convey these thoughts to your representatives. If we stop caring about problems regarding our nation, the cause for which our Founding Fathers fought for over 240 years ago will be lost in time. With this in mind, the biggest takeaway I have from the course is that American citizenship is not about the process itself, but more importantly the engagement and interaction of the American people with our political system. The advancements in innovation and technology give us endless opportunities for civic engagement, and should inspire us to get involved in communities at the local, state and federal levels. With this vast amount of knowledge I now possess about citizenship, I plan on looking at political issues from a different perspective, and forming my own ideas regarding these issues. 

Before I end this blog post, I would just like to say thank you to Dr. Mintler and all the members of my Citizens! Expository Writing Course for making this class intriguing and worthwhile. It truly was a great semester, and I enjoyed learning about American citizenship with you all.