Special Independence Day naturalization ceremony held

CBS New York: Special Independence Day naturalization ceremony held 

Independence Day is taking on a whole new meaning for a group of people celebrating the July 4th holiday a little early by becoming citizens. As CBS2's Alice Gainer reports, Friday's special ceremony was a dream come true.

Julieta García: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

 WH.gov: Julieta García: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

N-400 practice:

n-400r-8       Work and School

POP QUIZ:

USCIS 100:09. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

USCIS 100:36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

USCIS 100:77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

USCIS 100:84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

USCIS 100:93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

Father Alexander Karloutsos: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

wh.gov: Father Alexander Karloutsos: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

POP QUIZ:

USCIS 100:06. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 

USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?

USCIS 100:13. Name one branch or part of the government.*

USCIS 100:51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

USCIS 100:58. What is one reason colonists came to America?

USCIS 100:92. Name one state that borders Canada.

Sandra Lindsay: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

VOA News: Sandra Lindsay: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse in New York City who was the first person in the US to get the COVID-19 vaccine, shared her experience with Business Insider.

Lindsay said she volunteered to get the vaccine as soon as she heard about it because she knew it would "put an end" to the pandemic. 

The nurse, originally from Jamaica, said she felt it was important to "instill confidence" in people who look like her to get vaccinated.

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:09. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

USCIS 100:36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

USCIS 100:42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

USCIS 100:53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

USCIS 100:90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Khizr Khan: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

wh.gov: Khizr Khan: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

Learn more about Khizir and Ghazala Kahn:

• VOANews: Khizir and Ghazala Khan Talk to VOA
  
• A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of India and Pakistan Independence Day pdf
  
• This Is Our Constitution: Discover America with a Gold Star Father by Khizr Khan, Sunil Malholtra, et al. (book, 2017)
• An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice by Khizr Khan (book, 2017)

POP QUIZ:

• USCIS 100:02. What does the Constitution do?
• USCIS 100:03. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
• USCIS 100:6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 
• USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?
• USCIS 100:48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
• USCIS 100:53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

Fred Gray: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

wh.gov: Fred Gray: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

USCIS 100:60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

USCIS 100:74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

USCIS 100:76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

USCIS 100:84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

USCIS 100:85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*

Richard Trumka Jr. Accepting on Behalf of Richard Trumka: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

wh.gov: Richard Trumka Jr. Accepting on Behalf of Richard Trumka: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

N-400 Section Interviews

• n-400r-8       Work and School
• n-400r-10     Marital History
• n-400r-11     Children

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 

USCIS 100:11. What is the economic system in the United States?*

USCIS 100:35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

USCIS 100:36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

USCIS 100:74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

USCIS 100:97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?*  

USCIS welcomes new citizens at naturalization ceremony

WNYT NewsChannel 13: USCIS welcomes new citizens at naturalization ceremony

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services welcomed 19 new citizens Monday at Saratoga National Historic Park. The ceremony was also held as a way to celebrate our nation’s 246th birthday.

Sister Simone Campbell: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

wh.gov: Sister Simone Campbell: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

POP QUIZ

11. What is the economic system in the United States?*

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

Simone Biles: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

wh.gov: Simone Biles: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:06. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 

USCIS 100:21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members? 

USCIS 100:48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

USCIS 100:71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

USCIS 100:87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Jan. 6 Panel Concludes First Set of Hearings

 

VOA News: Jan. 6 Panel Concludes First Set of Hearings

Unprecedented charges could be politically risky and divisive.

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:12. What is the “rule of law”?

USCIS 100:28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*

USCIS 100:37. What does the judicial branch do?

USCIS 100:45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?*

USCIS 100:53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

USCIS 100:86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

Brigadier General Wilma Vaught: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

 

wh.gov: Brigadier General Wilma Vaught: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

POP QUIZ

41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

Ambassador Cindy McCain Accepting on Behalf of John McCain: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

 

wh.gov: Ambassador Cindy McCain Accepting on Behalf of John McCain: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

USCIS 100:52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

USCIS 100:50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

USCIS 100:68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

USCIS 100:78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*

USCIS 100:93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

Senator Alan Simpson: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

 

wh.gov: Senator Alan Simpson: 2022 Medal of Freedom Recipient

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:16. Who makes federal laws?

USCIS 100:17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*

USCIS 100:18. How many U.S. Senators are there?

USCIS 100:19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

USCIS 100:20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?*

USCIS 100:24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

New citizens celebrate naturalization ceremony

The Nevada Independent: New citizens celebrate naturalization ceremony 

After many pandemic-induced delays and cancellations, 32 people from 15 different countries finally became American citizens Thursday at the North Las Vegas field office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — just in time for Independence Day.

How abortion bans make inequality worse

 VOX: How abortion bans make inequality worse

To read more of our ongoing coverage on what the end of the federally guaranteed right to abortion means for the United States, catch up on our articles here: https://bit.ly/3bMm7sg

Roe v. Wade Explained

VOANews: Roe v. Wade Explained 

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the decades-old Roe v. Wade decision, which said women have a constitutional right to have an abortion. Here’s a look at the case’s beginning.

Investigators: Trump Tweet Pivotal Motivation for Attack on US Capitol

VOA News: Investigators: Trump Tweet Pivotal Motivation for Attack on US Capitol 

US lawmakers allege Trump ignored advisers' warnings that election was lost

Learn more:

Thirty N-400 Section Practice Interviews Based on the USCIS Application for Naturalization (updated).  Download all 30 interviews in one convenient pdf!

• n-400r-12c   Acts of Violence
• n-400r-12d   Group Violence

How Slavery Figures in US Abortion Battle

 

VOA News: How Slavery Figures in US Abortion Battle

In rejecting constitutional right to abortion, US Supreme Court walked past crucial post-Civil War amendments, critics say.

POP QUIZ!

USCIS 100:01. What is the supreme law of the land?

USCIS 100:02. What does the Constitution do?

USCIS 100:03. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

USCIS 100:04. What is an amendment?

USCIS 100:06. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 

USCIS 100:73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

USCIS 100:74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

USCIS 100:75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*

USCIS 100:76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

USCIS 100:77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

After Roe v. Wade, What Happens Now?

VOA News: After Roe v. Wade, What Happens Now? 

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overruled a constitutional right to an abortion, what will happen next? The ruling overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 high court decision that had given women the right to abortion across the United States. The latest ruling effectively returns abortion decisions to the states. Here is a look at what could happen in individual states and at the federal level.

POP QUIZ:

USCIS 100:13. Name one branch or part of the government.*

USCIS 100:14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

USCIS 100:15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

USCIS 100:16. Who makes federal laws?

USCIS 100:33. Who signs bills to become laws?

USCIS 100:34. Who vetoes bills?

USCIS 100:37. What does the judicial branch do?

USCIS 100:38. What is the highest court in the United States?

USCIS 100:39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

USCIS 100:40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

New U.S. citizens sworn in on Independence Day

WCNC: New U.S. citizens sworn in on Independence Day

As celebrations of America's independence continued on July 4, one group honored the day in a different way. The Charlotte Museum of History hosted a naturalization ceremony where 15 immigrants became citizens.

Red, white, and blue filled the room during the ceremony on the most patriotic day of the year. Proud loved ones snapped pictures and clapped as people from 13 different countries were sworn into citizenship.

Acting Charlotte field office director for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Victoria Moody, gave a speech during the event.

"I’m proud to welcome you as the newest generation of American citizens, as individuals who have made a commitment to this great nation,” Moody said.

Monticello Welcomes Newly Naturalized Americans

 WUVA: Monticello Welcomes Newly Naturalized Americans

At Monticello’s 60th Annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization ceremony, nearly 50 individuals can now call America their home. We spoke with a few people about their journey and what they aspired to achieve as new naturalized citizens. 

Select Footage Courtesy of Canva 

Produced by Jason Banks, Sophia Celentano, Nicole Chang, Duncan McGrath

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

USCIS 100:9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

USCIS 100:28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*

USCIS 100:29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

USCIS 100:49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*

USCIS 100:50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

USCIS 100:62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

USCIS 100:63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

USCIS 100:99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?*

USCIS 100:100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

An American Celebration: Naturalization Ceremony at Mount Vernon

George Washington's Mount Vernon: An American Celebration: Naturalization Ceremony at Mount Vernon 

Mount Vernon was honored to host 52 of America's newest citizens on July 4th, 2022 at their Naturalization Ceremony. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was the featured speaker.

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military

USCIS 100:35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

USCIS 100:36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

USCIS 100:52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

USCIS 100:53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

USCIS 100:63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

USCIS 100:64. There were 13 original states. Name three.

USCIS 100:69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?

USCIS 100:70. Who was the first President?*

USCIS 100:94. What is the capital of the United States?*

Mighty Mississippi Forever Stamps #MightyMississippiStamps

 

USPS TV: Mighty Mississippi Forever® Stamps

The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the beauty and majestic wonder of the Mighty Mississippi River — America’s quintessential waterway.

The Mississippi is at the core of the nation’s heritage, and is often referred to as America’s backbone, its heart and its soul. From Lake Itasca’s trickling overspill in Minnesota, the Mississippi flows and grows for 2,300 miles.

At the point where the Mississippi reaches the Gulf of Mexico, the trickle that started in Lake Itasca has intermingled with waters from 31 states.

The portfolio of 10 exquisite photographic stamps each represent a state along the course of the river. With five rows of two stamps each, the pane’s arrangement corresponds to the states’ north-south and west-east sequence. Art Director Ethel Kessler designed the pane using existing photographs.

The Mighty Mississippi Forever stamps are being sold in panes of 10. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #MightyMississippiStamps. Get them at USPS.com or your local post office.

POP QUIZ:

1. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

2. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

3. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

4. What is the economic system in the United States?*

5. Name the state that borders Canada (and is the source of the Mississippi River).

6. The Mississippi ends in the Gulf of Mexico. Name one state that borders Mexico.

7. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for? (HINT: USPS)

8. In 1828, a teenaged Abraham Lincoln guided a flatboat down the Mississippi River to New Orleans.  In 1861, he became the sixteenth U.S. president.  What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*

Revised US Border Policy Expected After Supreme Court Ruling

 

VOA News: Revised US Border Policy Expected After Supreme Court Ruling

Changes are expected in how the U.S. deals with migrants along America’s southern border after the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration’s push to terminate a Trump-era policy that forced them to await their immigration court dates on the Mexican side of the border. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports, last week’s ruling coincided with news that more than 50 migrants had died in a trailer truck abandoned in Texas.

The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Fredrick Douglass

Happy Independence Day Week! Today we will listen to an old podcast from uscitizenpod: USCIS 100:99 July 4th, Slavery, and Fredrick Douglass

We will first read about Q99 from the USCIS M638 quick civics lesson. Then we will discuss the Declaration of Independence, the Compromise of 1850, and abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. Then we will listen to a short reading from Fredrick Douglass speech: “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” Note that Negro was a common term for Black or African-Americans, but it is not often used today. Let's get started.

DOWNLOAD MP3

excerpt from The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Fredrick Douglass

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?

I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelly to which he is the constant victim.

To him, your celebration is a sham;
your boasted liberty, an unholy license;
your national greatness, swelling vanity;
your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless;
your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence;
your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery;
your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings,
with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast,
fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages...

TimelessReader1: Meaning of July 4th for the Negro - Frederick Douglass Speech - Hear the Text

Listen to and read text from The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro, written by abolitionist and former slave: Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass presented this speech on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, NY. This speech concludes with a poem, a peace prayer, written by William Lloyd Garrison

For more info:

See zinnedproject.org: Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom

Watch actor Danny Glover read abolitionist Frederick Douglass's "Fourth of July Speech, 1852" on October 5, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. Part of a reading from Voices of a People's History of the United States (Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove.)

NPR: ‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech 

The U.S. celebrates this Independence Day amid nationwide protests and calls for systemic reforms. In this short film, five young descendants of Frederick Douglass read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" which asks all of us to consider America's long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans.

U.S. Citizenship Resources for 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. 

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: List of Naturalization Ceremonies on Independence Day 2023

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.

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

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.

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: 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

wh.gov: This Fourth of July, America is Back (2021)

Today, Americans are #BackTogether – celebrating our country’s July 4th Independence Day and the progress we have made against the virus together. 

Follow American English at State on FaceBook

Special Independence Day naturalization ceremony held

 

CBS2 NY: Special Independence Day naturalization ceremony held 

Independence Day is taking on a whole new meaning for a group of people celebrating the July 4th holiday a little early by becoming citizens. As CBS2's Alice Gainer reports, Friday's special ceremony was a dream come true

Supreme Court Cases That Have Shaped American Life

 

VOA News: Supreme Court Cases That Have Shaped American Life 

Since the U.S. Supreme Court first assembled in 1790, it has ruled on tens of thousands of cases. The court’s decisions have defined the country’s legal framework and shaped countless aspects of U.S. society. Here are some cases that had a large impact on American life.

Learn More about the Supreme Court

• si.edu Preparing the Oath: The Court videos
• TED-ed: How do US Supreme Court justices get appointed? - Peter Paccone video
• USCIS: Judicial Branch (beginning) | (intermediate)
• US Courts: Pathways to the Bench Play list videos
• uscitizenpod: A citizenship quiz that celebrates Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her Sisters in Law and Justice pdf and mp3
• VOA News: The Supreme Court series (EXCELLENT!)
• VOX: How a case gets to the US Supreme Court video

The Inside Story: Democracy in America

 

VOANews: The Inside Story: Democracy in America 

From a landmark Supreme Court decision on abortion to the investigation into the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, how is America dealing with divisive issues and seismic events on The Inside Story: Democracy in America.