Are you a citizen? To be a citizen, or to have citizenship, is defined as a person residing in a location and owes allegiance to the governing organization of that jurisdiction. In return for a person’s allegiance or service to the organization, a citizen can generally expect protection from external threats. [1] This definition of a citizen seems straight forward, however the meaning of “citizenship” is layered between complex tensions of being subject to a set of cultural and governmental rules, an expectation of returned benefits for allegiance, and negotiating societal judgement from other citizens. Some individuals are born into citizenship, while other people are required to fulfill requirements to be accepted as a citizen of a specific jurisdiction. When citizenship is acquired, an identity is created and then connected to broader social and cultural acceptance (or rejection) of the formed identity. In the United States of America, citizenship is nuanced by gender, race, and socioeconomic class. To further complicate these distinctions, the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship are driven by cultural agendas and legislative actions that are continually shifting around formally instituted rights, participation in the polity and a sense of belonging. [2]
The American body of citizens is a remarkable collection of diverse cultures, races and ethnicities. This population diversity was evident in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. These time periods are emblematic of a society in the midst of change through conflict, cultural upheaval, and technological advancements. Within these societal changes, the idea of citizenship or “belonging” was also evolving in that and each person living in the United States of America interpreted their citizenship or duty to the republic differently. For some people, citizenship had inherited rights and responsibilities while others had to carve out a space for participation.
To represent the diversity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ethan W. Clark artistically crafted the following image which represents the profile of the American body politic. Inspired by Leonardo DaVinci’s “Vitruvian Man,” each limb of this figure demonstrates different elements in the American society citizenry. Each part of the profile (eyes, nose, and mouth) as well as the core and limbs are “clickable.” Click on each focus point to read a brief historiographic review on different perspectives of American citizenship and how the meanings of citizenship are received, digested, and structured.
Just as the eyes, nose, and mouth broadly construct the human facial profile, the American citizenship profile can also be constructed through our physical senses. The human eyes make snap judgements on a true citizen’s appearance; this preconceived image is a judgement of how individuals observe others that may be different from themselves. Further as the human nose provides an avenue for the physical body to intake life-sustaining oxygen to our lungs and bloodstream, principles in American society need oxygen to sustain cultural foundations of defined citizenry constructs. People give oxygen to principles through the daily use of assumptions, presumptions, and application of judgement. Lastly, just as our mouths ingest nutrients for bodily functions, people ingest and accept presented ideas as fact lending credence to ideals of worthiness or ability to be a real citizen in the American republic.
As the United States society is diverse, each different limb of the American Citizenship figure is meant to represent a highlighted American demographic in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. It is important to emphasize that this image is symbolic in nature. Each limb simplifies a broad array of peoples who were individuals seeking new prospects in a land that promised opportunity and guaranteed rights through the symbolic dream of equality and prosperity. The Gilded Age American populous had many different races, socio-economic class structures, religions, and qualities of life. This image is merely a keyhole perspective of how Americans may have seen each other. It is not my intent or desire to generalize lived experiences or minimize the violent legacy of racism.
For the figure, one arm represents American immigrants-specifically Asian immigrant workers, another arm represents the working-class man, while a third arm represents an elite man’s perspective, and the last arm represents women in the American republic. For the legs, Native Americans represent one leg, and the other highlighted leg focuses on a freed enslaved person of African descent. These initial images are how an elite man may have viewed the different demographic segments in the United States. In contrast, each brief vignette will explore how each American citizen interpreted their constitutionally mandated rights, participated in the American republic, and lastly how broader society accepted or rejected each group of people.
While the title of “American citizen” may have been a beacon of hope to many people, citizenship in the United States has a complicated history that is influenced by gender, race, and class and defined by perspective, perception, and judgment.
[1] “Citizen.” Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citizen?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld. Accessed Nov 24, 2023.
[2] Christine Talbot. A Foreign Kingdom: Mormons and Polygamy in American Political Culture 1852-1890. (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2013). 5.
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