How many representatives are there in Congress? In what year was the Constitution written? Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
I found these questions on my naturalization test this spring. Waiting anxiously in the hallway were about 25 other immigrants, many of whom spoke only a smattering of English. Had they failed to give two of the following-435, 1787 and Francis Scott Key-then they may not be able to join the ranks of Americans. Among other potential obstacles: seven questions on the color and meaning of the flag.
Between 2000 and 2003, 2.3 million immigrants became U.S. citizens, more than 25,000 in North Carolina. They are playing an increasingly significant role in both local and national politics, accounting for more than half of all new registered voters.
The citizenship test is laden with patriotic trivia-arcane facts that are useless in determining someone's true qualification and value to this country. Monday, the federal government announced that it will change the test so that it would rely less on trivia and more on values-specifically the immigrant's grasp of the "meaning of democracy." The revised test will be given to all applicants for naturalization beginning in 2006.
Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank, praises the changes. "It's also good for the people who are already here," he said. "Because there will be fewer problems and fewer friction if we all understand what America is all about."
In practice, the changes will bring about few ramifications. If someone can memorize a chapter out of AP U.S. History, then surely he/she can spit out the value judgments that the government wants to hear. The focus on "the American value" is, however, a dangerous step down the slippery slope toward cultural assimilation and imposed homogeneity.
Australia, for one, disagrees with Clegg. It does not currently have a citizenship test. Its government proposal for a compulsory test in the naturalization process has been described as unfair and simplistic. Voula Messineri, chairwoman of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils, said, "any sort of notion of citizenship test excludes some people by necessity because of English and because of the notions they might have of who they are."
Australian Senator Kerry Nettle added that rather than dividing the community, the government should be looking at ways to help migrants by providing them with assistance in English skills.
And what about other parts of the world?
In Britain the 45-minute citizenship tests were launched only in 2005. Drawing material from the book, Life in the UK, the questions are pragmatic instead of bluntly patriotic. A potential question: How much less are women paid than men? Answer: 20 percent.
In the Canadian sample citizenship test, there are four questions about aboriginals, ranging from the basic-"Who are the aboriginal peoples in Canada?"-to the more controversial-"Why are the aboriginal peoples of Canada working towards self-government?" In contrast, the U.S. test has nothing on the Native Americans; apparently the name of the ship carrying the first pilgrims fit in better with American values.
Each citizenship test implicitly imposes a specific history and value system onto immigrants. Compared to other countries, the U.S. test imposes a history and value that is particularly ethnocentric. Better to scrap it altogether and devote the resources to register the newly minted citizens to vote.
James Zou is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Friday.
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