American citizenship for everyone is the result of centuries of struggle.
Particular responsibilities to each other and to the nation—such as voting, paying taxes, and other civic duties—are a part of social citizenship. The government protects the rights of citizens to equality in participating in these activities. Contributing to the common good is not a legal requirement of citizenship but it has often been a social criteria for determining who deserves rights and protections. In other ways, citizenship is about what an individual needs in order to belong—such things as an income, family and friends, and certain personal freedoms.
Under the Constitution, Americans have certain inalienable rights. At various times, groups have felt compelled to create their own Bill of Rights, laying out both grievances and expectations.
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Jim Dickson and Americans with Disabilities Vote created this poster. It shows two people voting behind curtains, one standing and one in a wheelchair and has the slogan “With Rights … Comes Responsibility.”
This document enumerates sixteen basic rights needed for people to live independently, including adequate income, affordable housing, accessible transportation, and public education.
Modeled after the original Bill of Rights and written in script on faux parchment, this document from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University calls for such rights as employment, care, elimination of architectural barriers, and research.