What is a nominating convention?

VOA News: What is a nominating convention? 

 

Presidential nominating conventions are a relatively recent tradition that progressed from lengthy party debates into a political spectacle televised for the world. Take a closer look at the history, surprises, and stakes behind the quadrennial events that will shape America's political landscape.

USCIS Forms: Download the Most Recent Version!

USCIS: USCIS Forms: Download the Most Recent Version! 

USCIS: USCIS Formularios: Descargue la Versión Más Reciente

How to Change Your Email Address in Your USCIS Online Account

 USCIS: How to Change Your Email Address in Your USCIS Online Account

Independence Day Naturalization Ceremony at Mount Vernon:

 George Washington's Mount Vernon: Naturalization Ceremony July 4, 2024

Mount Vernon was the home of George Washington, the first President of the United States. It is now a historic national landmark and open to the public. Every year on America's birthday, it hosts a naturalization ceremony to welcome new US citizens.

Immigration divides US electorate

 

VOA News: Immigration divides US electorate 

Also read: 

• Homeland Security: Chinese migrants deported on charter flight 
•  VOA News: Immigration (special section)

Some voters blame media for U.S. polarization as election nears

VOA News: Some voters blame media for U.S. polarization as election nears 

With four months remaining until the U.S. presidential election, political divisions among the electorate are stark. Some voters blame the media for deepening the sense of separation. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has more.

Also see: 

• Voting and Election Resources for Adult Ed Students Padlet 
• News and Media Literacy Resources for Adult Education Padlet

Happy Independence Day!

 

VOA News: Independence Day Celebrations Bring Communities Together in United States

As the nation prepares to celebrate 247 years of the country’s independence, smaller U.S. towns are marking holiday with their own traditions. VOA’s Saqib Ul Islam takes us to one small Virginia town that celebrated ahead of the July Fourth holiday. 

Citizenship Resources for Independence Day

SI.edu/USCIS: Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship
This web resource provides online videos and activities on the 100 civics questions from the naturalization test and highlights museum objects from the Smithsonian Institution. 

USCIS: USCIS Celebrates Independence Day 2024 and Continues Its Commitment to Naturalization

USCIS: List of Naturalization Ceremonies on Independence Day 2024

USCIS: For Independence Day
USCIS highlights some of the resources for learners and teachers that are related to this important holiday.  Includes Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence and Establishing Independence.   Also check out two pdfs from the 13-pdf A More Perfect Union series: The Civics Test Guide to the Memorial to the Signers of Declaration of Independence and The Civics Test Guide to the Jefferson Memorial

USCIS: Civics Questions Playlist 
USCIS helps you prepare for the civics test by posting a new playlist: one video for each civics and history question asked by different examiners.  For Independence Day, check out 100:08, 09, 61, 62, 63, 64, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100. Good job, USCIS!


More Resources

American English at State: Celebrate Independence Day (pdf)
Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4 because on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, officially breaking bonds with England and forming a new independent nation, the United States of America. (more lessons)

Archives.gov: Independence Day at the National Archives

Census.gov: The Fourth of July 2024

Jennifer ESL: Lesson 26 - Red, White & Blue Idioms - Happy Fourth of July!
Learn six idioms based on the colors red, white, and blue.  MORE PRACTICE

LOC.gov: Today in History: July 4: Independence Day

Museum of the American Revolution: Season of Independence

NPS.gov: Independence Day

NMAAHC.si.edu: A Nation's Story: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Rachel's English: 4th of July Traditions
Happy 4th of July! This is the day we celebrate America’s independence. Study vocabulary, pronunciation, and phrases as we study REAL English conversation and learn about 4th of July traditions in the US.

si.edu: Spotlight: Independence Day

state.gov: Celebrating Independence Day: The Resilience of U.S. Democracy (2021)

This #IndependenceDay, we celebrate our democracy's progress toward a more equitable and prosperous society of the people, by the people, and for the people.

TED-ED: What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence - Kenneth C. Davis (video)
In June 1776, a little over a year after the start of the American Revolutionary War, the US Continental Congress huddled together in a hot room in Philadelphia to talk independence. Kenneth C. Davis dives into some of the lesser known facts about the process of writing the Declaration of Independence and questions one very controversial omission.

uscitizenpod: Independence Day Citizenship Interview with Lien Ho (2017)

uscitizenpod: A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs for Independence Day
New for 2016: 24 questions based on the N-400r plus 10 civics question.

uscitizenpod: The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Fredrick Douglass

We will discuss the Declaration of Independence, the Compromise of 1850, and abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. 

uscitizenpod: US Citizenship Podcast Independence Day Quiz (video)
Celebrate Independence Day with uscitizenpod. Here is a quiz based on USCIS 100:08, 09, 61, 62, 63, 64, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100.

VOA News: What was the 'first American novel'? On this Independence Day, a look at what it started (2024)

William Hill Brown's The Power of Sympathy, published anonymously by Isaiah Thomas & Company, is widely cited as something momentous: the first American novel.

VOA News: Ahead of Independence Day Holiday, Children Take Oath to Become US Citizens. (2021)

One of the themes of this year's Smithsonian Folk Life Festival is immigration. As part of the festival events, a group of 25 children were sworn in as U.S. Citizens, just ahead of America's Independence Day holiday. VOA's Elizabeth Cherneff reports.

VOA Learning English;  America's Birthplace: Independence National Historical Park (mp3 and article)
This week, our U.S. National Parks journey takes us to the eastern city of Philadelphia, an important place in American history.

wh.gov: President Biden Participates in a Naturalization Ceremony (2021)

President Biden Participates in a Naturalization Ceremony to Welcome Citizens to Our Country Ahead of Independence Day

Follow American English at State on FaceBook

VOA The Inside Story - USA Votes 2024

VOA News: The Inside Story - USA Votes 2024 | 151 

President Joe Biden faces former President Donald Trump in a rematch. We bring you reactions from the first 2024 Presidential debate and what a second term could mean for the U.S. and the world. This week on The Inside Story: USA Votes 2024.