The people who reside in the United States are either citizens or aliens.  The national Constitution declares that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”  Women and children are citizens, though not entitled to vote.

A citizen is a member of the body politic, bound to allegiance, and entitled to protection at home and abroad.  He can renounce his allegiance—­that is, lay down his citizenship—­by becoming the subject of some other country.  Wherever he goes, until he renounces his allegiance, he is a citizen of the United States, and is shielded from insult by the might and majesty of the whole nation.  Citizenship is therefore valuable for its protection abroad, as well as for its rights and privileges at home.

NATURALIZATION.—­Naturalized citizens are persons of foreign birth who have become citizens by naturalization, after a continuous residence of at least five years in the United States.  A foreigner is naturalized by appearing in court, declaring his intention to become a citizen of the United States, and his purpose to renounce all allegiance to foreign governments.  After two years more, he must appear in open court, renounce upon oath all foreign allegiance, and swear to support the Constitution of the United States.  If he bears any title of nobility, he must renounce it.  Naturalized citizens have all the rights and privileges that belong to native-born citizens, except that no naturalized person can become President or Vice President of the United States.

RIGHTS.—­The Constitution of the United States does not contain a formal bill of rights, as do most of the State constitutions, but it names the following as among the rights of citizens: 

(1) “The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens of the several States”;

That is, a citizen who removes into another State shall enjoy all the rights and privileges that belong to its citizens.

(2) “A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.”  A demand for the delivery of a fugitive criminal is called a requisition.

(3) “No person held to service or labor in one State under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor; but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.”

This provision refers to the capture and return of fugitive slaves, and is rendered void by the abolition of slavery.

(4) “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”