-A question of citizenship

by brian k. shoemake

One of the most disputed and debated articles of the U.S. Constitution regarding immigration has been the Fourteenth Amendment. Also widely referred to as the "Citizenship Clause."
Amendment XIV Section 1.
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment states that citizenship is guaranteed to anyone who was born in the United States and "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." But that statement could be a bit misleading without a full understanding of court interpretations, and Congressional action since then...

FD Article #11
by Brian K Shoemake

Freedom of Religion has historically referred to the tolerance of diverse theological beliefs.

Freedom of worship has been defined as freedom to follow one's own conscience and an individual action based on a personal religious belief system. Freedom to pray, freedom of conscience, and freedom to worship as one desires or the freedom from religion and freedom not to worship are all encompassed in one's own right to a personal religious belief system. The right to worship without regard to government, law, restriction, harassment, taxation, or persecution for exercising these basic inalienable rights is fundamental to liberty and freedom.

FD Article #8
by Brian K. Shoemake

The term "separation of powers" as we know it can be traced back to ancient Greece and the Baron de Montesquieu, a French political thinker and enlightenment era writer. His theory of separation outlines the importance of dividing the powers of government into three separate but equal entities with independent powers and areas of responsibility. This concept has been adopted into many constitutions around the world throughout history including the Roman Republic.

FD Article #5
by Brian K. Shoemake

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ”

"The Religion Clause" or the concept of unabridged religious freedom as acknowledged by the founders was originally adopted from the Mayflower Compact, brought to America by the Pilgrims, and later enshrined by our founding fathers in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States.