A Bill Instate the Naturalized Citizens of the U.S. to be Eligible as President or Vice President of Their Country

“We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union…” Sound familiar? In 1788, the Constitution was ratified in order to provide basic freedoms for U.S. citizens. And like many historians will remind you, the Constitution originally did not include all people. In 2020, 232 years into the future… the Constitution still does not involve every citizen in it’s equal rights. And those citizens… are the naturalized ones. 

As stated in article two, section one of the U.S. Constitution only a “natural born citizen” can ever be president or vice president of the United States. It specifically indicates that, “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of the president.” 

To begin, the constitution was an immense stride to democracy… Democracy is defined as, “A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” If the hindrance of solving this issue is about the anxiety of someone from a foreign nation being president, then American citizens, have a right to stop it… to vote against them. Solving this problem will not be taking away anyone’s freedom, it’s giving the same freedom that natural born citizens have to others. 

Based upon the National Conference of State Legislatures, as of 2019 there are now 20.7 million people living in the U.S. who are naturalized citizens. With this statistic just imagine how many more potential candidates there would be who would aspire to be the preeminent choice for president in order to ensure the best possible future of our country. 

The United States was founded by immigrants who came here for freedom and liberty… but what liberty is shown to those who can’t even apply for the highest held position of their own nation? 

A major issue with the natural born citizen clause, is the fact that many citizens that are born here in the United States aren’t the best candidates for running. Most of the time, presidential elections narrow down to the lesser of two evils. This is tearing the United States apart, since we cannot be certain that our natural born citizens are the ones to be chosen for president. 

According to John Yinger, a professor of economics and public administration at the University of Syracuse, claims that this restriction upon naturalized citizens is, “no longer relevant” because the, “Founding Fathers included the natural born citizen clause so no foreign prince could buy his way into presidency.” This means that it’s no longer relevant to the modern world today. Like Arslan Malik once said, “The notion that one’s loyalty can presumptively be linked to the territory of one’s birth is antiquated.” Furthermore, the clause contradicts the basic American principle that “All citizens should have equal rights.” All citizens do not have equal rights, especially if not all citizens are able to become president of their country. 

Additionally, what about the people who are adopted into the United States like I am? What about the people who came here seeking a better country than the one they came from? This clause is not only hurting them, but also the future of our nation. It’s depriving this country of forthcoming scientists, doctors, social workers, and engineers from becoming President which is an issue all on it’s own. 

As an adopted child I must ask this question… Why can’t I lead the only country that I have ever known? I do have Korean blood running through my veins and I’m extremely proud of it. However, South Korea is not the country that I consider to be my home… I can’t even speak the language. America is my homeland, because I am American. I have two countries that I am made of and these two countries can and will coexist inside of me. Being Korean does not take away my American heritage. If anything, I can learn to appreciate it a little bit more. 

Since naturalized citizens are from different countries instead of just being from the U.S., an amendmending resolution to this issue will improve international relationships as well as those within our own borders. By letting the preventative naturalized citizen clause be torn down will come to show that our country is taking major steps in order to be done with our racist, discriminatory, and xenophobic past. And we’ve already come so far as a country, so why… stop… now? 

As reported by the Constitutional Rights Foundation… since the 1870s, 26 identical amendments have been proposed in Congress to change or eliminate the natural born citizen clause, but all failed in subcommittees. But in the modern day era, we need to break these actions for the compressed naturalized citizens living beside us. 

As Jen Orbacks once said, “To celebrate citizenship is one way for society to show that it is something valuable which strengthens the community.” To celebrate a naturalized citizen’s civility is an objective that will strengthen the core values of our country and sustain our beliefs as Americans. 

In accordance with an article by the Nomad Capitalist, countries such as Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, and Somalia allow for naturalized citizens to run for the top elected position of their nations. If the U.S. really is all about the freedom and rights of an individual, then this issue needs to be solved for the identity of our nation and the civil liberties of our people. 

As reported by the Pew Research Center just last month, one in ten American citizens who are eligible to elect a national official is, in fact, a naturalized one. And because naturalized citizens already have the right to vote, it’s time to give them the power to lead. Thank you. 

If you want to help to achieve change this amendment, then sign the petition here...