Changing Nature of Modern Citizenship

Changing Nature of Modern Citizenship

Human societies generally undergo significant changes over time. Naturally, the nature of citizenship also changes as a function of the larger changes in societies. Many of the changes in societies also result in specific changes to the types of rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens. In some cases, societal changes in that regard affect all citizens equally; in others, they affect certain classes or groups of citizens more than others. Likewise, whereas certain societal changes result in positive changes to the rights and freedoms of citizens, other societal changes result in very negative changes to their rights and freedoms.

Changing Rights and Freedoms to Citizenship in Early United States History

The United States is an example of a country whose national society has changed tremendously in relation to the rights and freedoms of citizens since its inception. The most obvious example would be the fact that for several hundred years, black Africans were captured in their natural homelands and forced onto slave ships to be transported to the North American continent where they were sold and imprisoned as slaves. Eventually, this horrific practice caused so much antagonism and conflict between the southern portion of the country that relied on slave labor and the industrialized northern part of the country that it triggered the American Civil War. Immediately after the conclusion of that war, the slaves were set free by the Thirteenth Constitutional Amendment, giving freedom to millions of former slaves. In terms of rights and freedoms, it is very hard to imagine any more significant change than the transition from slavery to freedom.

Changing Rights and Freedoms to Citizenship in Modern United States History

While contemporary changes to freedoms and rights in the U.S. cannot possibly compare with the change from slavery to freedom, the rights and freedoms of American citizens have steadily increased throughout American history. In fact, those rights and freedoms are even more broad than those of many other countries simply because the U.S. Constitution specifically protects the rights and freedoms of all persons and not just of American citizens.

In many respects, the principal agent of beneficial change as far as the relative rights and freedoms of Americans are concerned is the U.S. Supreme Court. Over time, the most important issues affecting the rights and freedoms of persons in the U.S. are decided in cases that reach the Supreme Court either because lower courts cannot agree on the way to resolve important issues or because cases decided in lower courts are appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.