Rights & liberties
citizenship
Full membership in the national political community: the right to vote in federal elections, hold most federal offices, carry a U.S. passport, and never be deported.
In full
Citizenship comes by birth in the United States, by birth abroad to citizen parents under statutory conditions, or by naturalization. Lawful permanent residents may live and work here indefinitely but cannot vote in federal elections and remain removable. Citizenship cannot be revoked involuntarily except where naturalization was obtained by fraud.
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.