A citizen is a person who belongs to a nation-state and enjoys rights and obligations provided by the state. Citizenship may also entail membership of subnational entities such as cantons, regions or states within a country. For example, a person living in Switzerland is a citizen of the individual commune, but they are also citizens of the Swiss Confederation and of the European Union.
In general, a person is considered a citizen when they have the right to vote, hold political office, and receive benefits from government programs such as unemployment insurance or social security. However, there is no universal definition of what it means to be a citizen. Some nations define citizenship based on race, ethnicity, or gender while others are more flexible in their definition of citizenry.
The concept of citizenship has been used throughout history to keep the peace, maintain the status quo, preserve individual rights, protect minorities against majorities, and promote social justice. Some legal systems better serve these purposes than others. For example, an authoritarian regime may keep the peace but it often oppresses its own people (e.g., Burma or Zimbabwe).
Some governments also use citizenship to control immigration and to restrict the transfer of power between different governments. In the United States, citizenship is governed by federal law, but citizens are also granted rights and privileges by their state constitutions. State constitutions can also impose responsibilities not included in federal law, such as military service and taxation.
A person can become a citizen of a nation-state through birth, naturalization or adoption. The process of becoming a citizen is usually complex and requires a substantial time commitment. Citizenship is a unique bond that unites people around civic ideals and a belief in core human, procedural and property rights.
The law can be a powerful tool to help promote good citizenship, but it can also be used to punish citizens for their actions. The most important part of being a citizen is having a positive impact on the community and treating others with respect. Open discussions with your children about how they can be good citizens and the importance of obeying the laws can help them develop a strong sense of citizenship.
In ancient Greek times, citizenship was rooted in the small-scale organic communities of the polis, where one’s fate was closely linked to that of the community. In contrast to the more primitive hunter-gatherer bands of the past, people in the polis were able to participate fully in political life and had many opportunities to be virtuous through their civic actions. They were also expected to care for the elderly and sick in their midst. Consequently, the role of citizen was viewed as a great honor and source of prestige. These early roots of the idea of citizenship remain an important part of modern democracy. In the United States, for example, the 14th Amendment guarantees that all citizens are treated equally. This includes the right to vote and the right to be free from discrimination based on their race, religion or sex.