Civi. américaine : Citoyenneté, XVIIIe-XXIe S. S2 LL1CAE
| Nature | Élément Constitutif |
|---|
| Crédits ECTS | 2 |
|---|---|
| Volume horaire total | 30 |
Contenu
Although the Founding Fathers of the Constitution were eager to “form a more perfect Union” between the citizens of the individual states, defining American citizenship has always been a controversial issue in US social history. The “American Creed” guarantees that all “citizens of the United States” are entitled to liberty, equality and equal justice under law. The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution (1868) not only placed national citizenship above state citizenship but also established birthright as a bedrock principle of citizenship.
And yet, various specific groups within the American population have been inferiorized, denigrated, excluded, and denied equal rights because of who they are and even though they are all US-born: Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican-Americans, women and LGBTQ+ Americans.
In 1958, Chief Justice Warren reminded that “citizenship is man’s basic right for it is nothing less than the right to have rights. Remove this priceless possession and there remains a stateless person, disgraced and degraded in the eyes of his countrymen.” (Perez v. Brownell). Countless unauthorized immigrants have been treated as non-citizens even though they have favorably contributed to the American democratic experiment. The 14th Amendment even provides due process to all persons, including illegal immigrants. What have been the competing forces at stake since the late 19th century to determine who enters the United States and who is deported?
The purpose of this survey course is to examine the various contexts in which American citizenship has been construed as an exclusive category and how it evolved from colonial times until the election of Donald J. Trump in November 2016. To what extent should national origin, race, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation be taken into account in the recognition of rights and protections? Can groups of US citizens be “separate but equal”?
And yet, various specific groups within the American population have been inferiorized, denigrated, excluded, and denied equal rights because of who they are and even though they are all US-born: Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican-Americans, women and LGBTQ+ Americans.
In 1958, Chief Justice Warren reminded that “citizenship is man’s basic right for it is nothing less than the right to have rights. Remove this priceless possession and there remains a stateless person, disgraced and degraded in the eyes of his countrymen.” (Perez v. Brownell). Countless unauthorized immigrants have been treated as non-citizens even though they have favorably contributed to the American democratic experiment. The 14th Amendment even provides due process to all persons, including illegal immigrants. What have been the competing forces at stake since the late 19th century to determine who enters the United States and who is deported?
The purpose of this survey course is to examine the various contexts in which American citizenship has been construed as an exclusive category and how it evolved from colonial times until the election of Donald J. Trump in November 2016. To what extent should national origin, race, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation be taken into account in the recognition of rights and protections? Can groups of US citizens be “separate but equal”?