The Devolution of Democratic Citizenship
Pepperdine University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2022/12
Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 30, No. 4, 2021
45 Pages Posted: 25 Aug 2022
Date Written: 2021
Abstract
The actual operation of United States citizenship today shows a dilution worse than during the decline of ancient Rome. The notion of duty and obligation, whether evidenced in voluntary military service or voluntary voting, has diminished to the point of no longer being a valid measure for who is a good or bad citizen. After an introduction in part one, this Article provides a brief history of the early Greek and Roman notions of citizenship and its devolution in the modern United States in part two. Next, parts three and four draw upon international norms and practices to evaluate three strategies for enhancing the meaning of U.S. citizenship: modifying birthright citizenship, mandatory (military) service, and universal civic duty voting. Part five concludes the Article with suggestions for more accurately characterizing, and effectuating, the meaning of American citizenship and strategies to modify the devolutionary path in a direction that more fully satisfies our democratic ideals.
Keywords: United States, citizenship, duty, obligation, military service, voting, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, devolution, birthright citizenship, democracy
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