Citizenship and Social Class

TH. MARSHALL.

“There is no universal principal that determines what those rights and duties shall be, but societies in which citizenship is a developing institution create an image of an ideal citizenship against which achievement can be measured and towards which aspiration can be directed.”

I choose this line because honestly, what does citizenship mean?

Its is said that citizenship is defined as the state of being vested with privileges, rights and duties. But what privileges or rights do we as citizens of America have? Legally, as a citizens, we all share the same rights as defined in the Constitution.

We all have the right to vote, the right to free expression and the right to worship according to one beliefs. We also have the right to a fair trial by a jury without bias, the right to freedom, the right to bear arms, the right to be protected by the government from cruel and unusual punishment, and to be protected from unreasonable searches or seizure of ones property or properties.  However, in my opinion, these are simply guidelines and are not necessarily "rights".  The reality is that everyone has limited rights and sometimes one may only have "a right" depending on one's social and financial status. With this in mind, there may be some individuals, called citizens, who have no rights at all. 

Everyday many of there aforementioned "rights of individuals" are violated. There are many illegal arrests and searches of individuals who aren't aware of their rights. Innocent people have been falsely convicted of crimes which they didn't commit. Conversely, there are individuals who have the financial or social status to make all their illegal activities disappear.

Being a citizen and having rights doesn't guarantee fairness or justice. The only rights as a citizen that are acknowledged are basic rights, for instance, being recognized as a an American citizen;  which only entitles one to certain amenities of the constitution.

Recognition of citizenship mainly comes into existence during the election year because of the emphasis of getting votes.  Green card holders aren't recognized and undocumented individuals living in the country  are only discussed when there a benefits to politicians from such discussion. Citizenship in my opinion is just a title which provides you with the comfort and security to obtain certain benefits, mainly from the federal government. For instance medicaid/ medicare, loans, scholarships and Social Security benefits.