What It Means to Be an American: Citizenship as a Call to Action
To be an American citizen in the 21st century is to embrace both the privileges and the responsibilities that come with belonging to a democratic society. Citizenship is not just about the freedoms and rights we enjoy such as freedom of speech, freedom of opportunity, the right to due process and the right to bear arms, but also freedom from want and from fear, as Franklin D. Roosevelt so eloquently put it. Citizenship is also about the duties we owe to one another. These dual aspects of citizenship remind us that the promise of America is not only about individual liberty but also about our shared commitment to building a better society.
The flip side of rights is responsibility. As citizens, we have duties—not just to ourselves but to our families, friends, and communities. These duties can take many forms: voting in every election to shape our collective future, staying informed about issues that affect our neighbors, volunteering our time to support local causes, or simply showing kindness and empathy in our daily interactions. Citizenship calls us to look beyond our own needs and ask how we can contribute to the common good.
This sense of duty also challenges us to reject complacency about systems that fail us. Too often, we accept dysfunction as inevitable—assuming that government cannot deliver or that inequities are unavoidable. But why should we settle for less? To be an engaged citizen is to demand better: protections for workers, access to essential services, and policies rooted in fairness. Instead of normalizing injustice—such as when federal workers lose their jobs without warning and others respond with resignation—why not ask why all workers shouldn’t have the same protections? Why not strive for a society where stability and dignity are universal?
Ultimately, being an American today means recognizing that our freedoms are intertwined with our responsibilities. It means fostering solidarity over division and understanding that our collective strength lies in lifting each other up. Citizenship is not just a status; it’s a commitment—to uphold democratic values, challenge inequities, and ensure that freedom is not just a privilege for some but a shared reality for all.
