CONSTITUTIONAL CONVERSATIONS
Citizenship Test – Could You Pass? (Day 3)
by
M.E. Boyd, Esq., “Miss Constitution”
Miss Constitution hopes that you are enjoying taking the Citizenship test that those wishing to come into our country legally must know. These are some of the details of our system, but do not really get at the heart of what being an American is. Miss Constitution congratulates all of you who have taken the time to look at the questions. A couple of clarifications regarding two of the questions. The question as to who wrote the Declaration of Independence is a bit tricky. You got credit if you said Thomas Jefferson, but he did not actually write it. It was assigned to a Committee of Five, among whose members were John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. There were many drafts and changes. Jefferson was the primary scribe and rightly gets credit for some of the beautiful phraseology. Also, the powers of the states versus the federal government are called Police Powers. These are the health, welfare, safety, and morals of the citizens who live in a particular state and are plenary or broad whereas the federal powers are supposed to limited and enumerated. The reason the Founders wanted more power in the states is that federal power, in conjunction with the power to tax and a military, can overwhelm the country and lead to tyranny (authoritarianism). That much federal power ALWAYS becomes corrupt, as history has shown us over and over. Here are the final questions:
1. Name one war fought in the 1800s.
2. What was the War between the North and the South called?
3. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
4. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
5. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
6. Who was President during the Great Depression and WWII?
7. What war was President Eisenhower in?
8. Who did the United States fight in WWII?
9. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
10. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
11. What did Martin Luther King, Jr., do?
12. What major event happened on September 11, 2001?
13. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
13. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
14. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
15. Name one U.S. Territory.
16. Name one state that borders Canada.
17. What is the capital of the United States?
18. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
19. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
20. Why does the flag have 50 stars?
21. What is the name of the National Anthem?
22. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
23. Name two national United States holidays?
I was reminded by one who responded to the Citizenship Test, that questions were once used to deny voting rights to black Americans. This is true. Black Americans were sometimes asked to recite parts of the Constitution or Declaration of Independence and denied the right to vote if the answers were incorrect. If we did this today, we would have many fewer voters and perhaps many more informed voters. Uninformed voting was never envisioned by the Founders and they did not favor direct voting except for the House of Representatives where it was thought the voters could throw out the bad apples quickly. We do see the bad apples but for some reason cannot seem to throw them out! What is interesting is that many Americans in the 1800’s, both black and white, were illiterate but still knew a great deal about the system. Today, we have mostly literate Americans who know very little and many who could care less. That eighteen-year-olds are allowed to vote is actually unscientific. The frontal lobe does not fully develop in human beings until their twenties. The lobe involves reasoning and judgment. A vote without full reasoning and judgment is exactly what the Founders did not think wise.
Miss Constitution found the Citizenship Test kind of fun, but Miss Constitution would ask the following in addition:
1. The whole philosophy behind America’s Constitutional system is the development of the individual person. How is this reflected in the Bill of Rights?
2. If we distinguish between the words Liberty and Freedom, what would that distinction be? Why is the main value of our Constitutional system Liberty; specifically, Liberty of the Person?
3. The Founders were well-schooled in Philosophy, in Theology, and in History. They saw the “good citizen” as the embodiment of what human beings could achieve with their minds and their souls developed properly. What exemplifies this progress toward “good citizenship” in America’s story?
4. The Rule of Law consists of what bundles of Law?
5. What is it about Human Nature that requires adherence to the Rule of Law? Good luck with this exam! Let me know how you do – info@missconstitution.com.
