New Citizens Take Oath on Anniversary of Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights has varied meaning on 219th birthday.
December 15, 2010 -- On Dec. 15th, 1791, the first Congress of the United States ratified the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which granted fundamental rights to United States citizens.
But 219 years later, some Americans have a tough time recalling all ten amendments that were so ingrained in the minds of the founding fathers. When asked if he could list the ten amendments contained in the Bill of Rights, Utah teacher Paul Sutorius said, "Absolutely not."
"I think sometimes in defining what it is to you, it's maybe what would life be like without it," Sutorius said. "The Bill of Rights just reaffirms, tell us what we do have, just naturally and what living in America means."
Many people consider the First Amendment, which grants freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, to assemble and to petition, to be the most essential.
"The most important right in the Bill of Rights, I believe, is the right to free speech," Jonathan Koehle, a Georgetown University Law student, said. "That way we can always express what we feel. We can use our arguments to persuade people, to bring them to our cause."
To commemorate Bill of Rights Day, a civil holiday instituted by President Franklin Roosevelt in honor of the 150th anniversary in 1941, the National Archives hosted a naturalization ceremony for 25 petitioners from 22 countries seeking citizenship. The naturalization candidates hailed from all parts of the world, from Australia and Switzerland to Iraq and Morocco.
For Siddhi Patel, a Kenyan immigrant, who came to the U.S. for job opportunities and now works in community services for the U.S. Marine Corps, being sworn in as a U.S. citizen in the same room that holds the Bill of Rights carried a powerful meaning for him.
"If they weren't written, if the Bill of Rights were not there, I would not be here today, so it absolutely is the most fitting, fitting event," Patel said. "This is by far the best day of my life today, and I'm very proud to be an American."
