By Tim Norris,
The United States, as we all know, was born of immigration. And most Americans talk proudly of when and how their ancestors arrived in the country. In fact, curiosity about family roots has helped make genealogy, by some accounts, the second-most popular hobby among Americans. People are fascinated with where they came from and how they became citizens of the United States.
But rarely do we talk about citizenship itself, its benefits as well as its responsibilities, and its evolution from the exclusionary beliefs of the Founding Fathers through the post-Civil War expansion of rights to the post-World War II Civil Rights battles as African Americans struggled to exercise those rights of citizenship.
In a list of questions the Immigration and Naturalization Service makes available to people studying for American citizenship, the following question is asked: “What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?” Think about this for a moment. The answer may surprise you: It is, “The right to vote.” Not surprisingly, from the perspective of the Founding Fathers, the first quality of a good citizen then is that he or she votes. Thus, a good citizen will never miss an opportunity to cast a vote. Although it is clichéd, the idea of one person and one vote is sacred to our governing system.
In a time when half of the American people don’t bother to vote, one is surprised to read that John Adams, in 1761, implied that one of the best reasons for literacy is that it makes people better voters, and hence, better citizens. “Every man has in politics as well as religion a right to think and speak and act for himself,” Adams wrote. “I must judge for myself, but how can I judge, how can any man judge, unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading? A man who can read will find rules and observations that will enlarge his range of thought and enable him the better to judge who has and who has not that integrity of heart and that compass of knowledge and understanding which form the statesman.” Though the framers of the Constitution debated over who should be given the right to vote, all wished that those granted that right would employ it wisely and carefully. Therefore, the second mark of a good citizen is that he or she is able to think and thus to vote wisely and carefully.
Another important concept at the founding of our country was that government operates by the “Consent of the Governed.” Thus, the founders believed that citizens must be vigilant. It is not enough to be well-informed; citizens must also safeguard their liberties. Though Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson seldom agreed on much, both would echo Jefferson’s assessment of the need for vigilance. “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent,” Jefferson wrote.
The most important right granted to an American citizen is the right to vote. The founders hoped we would exercise this right carefully, knowledgably, thoughtfully and with vigilance. When you cast your vote in any election be grateful that they bequeathed to us so rich a legacy.
If you are a Citizen, Go Vote!
Tim Norris, a long-time Panhandle resident is past Chairman of the Walton County Republican Party and is the current Republican Party of Florida’s State Committeeman for Walton County. Tim Resides in Santa Rosa Beach with his wife Nancy. The couple have 3 daughters, Calli, Hannah and Piper.
Author: SWal Life
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