Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2001

Abstract

Be it in the United States or across the Atlantic, notions of citizenship conjure up thoughts of nationalism, membership, equality, price and patriotism. Though these notions suggest a sense of inclusion, the term citizenship also conjures up, for many, feelings of exclusion and subordination. This article will examine the fact that despite the virtuous rhetoric associated with the term, the status of citizen is often an elusive ideal, notwithstanding the attainment of such status. While the status is theoretically to include a litany of rights as well as a perception of belonging, for many in this society, citizenship means neither. Although many consider citizenship as deriving from a few sources and resulting in one form of membership, this article will demonstrate that in the United States there are differing forms of the status and each containing various levels of participation and inclusion.' The various forms include the Fourteenth Amendment Citizens, the Other Fourteenth Amendment Citizens, and the Alien-Citizens. These various forms of the status demonstrate that becoming a United States citizen does not result in becoming an equal member of the body politic.

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