The Sustainers, Citizens of the United States

The 1776 we knew we were no longer subjects of the British Crown-but then who were we? The word we created was "citizen." In July of that year citizen was used for the first time in a public document, the document being the Declaration of Independence. Eleven years later, in 1787, the newly enacted Constitution used the word ten times. But the word was undefined. We got by, except for one egregious fault: African Americans were not and could not be made citizens. We had the Civil War and enacted the Fourteenth Amendment, and that Amendment included African Americans as citizens. And the Amendment defined-for all of us-exactly who is a citizen. Through the end of the 18903 courts and government carried out that definition and in the 1890s the work seemed done. Yet there is a modern problem, of illegal immigrants, eleven million-maybe more-who are not and cannot be citizens. They do not meet the Fourteenth Amendment standards. They enter the country largely via our southern border, do not serve in the military, cannot vote, and most do net pay taxes. A number are criminals. The problem is what now can be done? A solution-not a good one, we have for so long ignored the problem-is naturalisation, The process-of naturalization-comes out of Congress. As things now stand illegal immigrants who are criminals will be deported. As to the rest, Congress may as it wishes provide some help. These matters, and much more, are covered in The Sustainers.