25 April 2007
Citizen’s Almanac Introduces New Americans to Nation’s Symbols
All naturalized citizens receive copy of almanac after oath of citizenship
Washington — On the cover of The Citizen’s Almanac, an immigrant couple and their son stand on the deck of an ocean liner looking out at New York Harbor. The boy is pointing to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
The almanac is a new publication that will be presented to the roughly 700,000 people each year who take the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens. It includes the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in 1863 and other fundamental documents of American democracy.
It is the place to look if you want to know the words to the national anthem, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address or Walt Whitman’s poem I Hear America Singing. There are also summaries of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, historically significant speeches and a discussion of the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens.
“The Citizen’s Almanac is a collection of America’s most cherished symbols of freedom and liberty,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which released the handbook April 17 and will provide it to every new citizen.
Mila and Alfred Tecson found the 112-page almanac on their chairs when they entered the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Department of State April 23 to be sworn in as citizens at a special ceremony hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (See “New Citizens Sworn In; Four Other ‘Americans by Choice’ Honored”.)
The Tecsons emigrated from the Philippines with their two children, Hannah and Justin, in 1998. They have a thriving real estate business in Virginia, and Alfred Tecson also is an immigration lawyer.
Alfred Tecson said it is “a good idea to give [the almanac] to every new citizen. This should start their involvement in the affairs of the country, so they can be an active participant and not just a bystander.”
He had only had time to skim it, he told USINFO two days after the naturalization ceremony, “but I really want to find time to read it and discuss it with my children.” He said he brought Hannah and Justin to the April 23 ceremony to make sure they understood its significance, “even though they had to skip school."
"I hope they learned something they wouldn’t learn in school,” he said.
Alfred Tecson also mentioned that he has a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence in his home office. “That’s the lawyer in me,” he said.
The first group of new citizens to receive the almanac got a copy autographed by Lynne Cheney, wife of the vice president, at a special naturalization ceremony April 17 at the National Archives, the repository of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The almanac “is a treasure, full of information on basic American documents, as well as classic speeches, songs, and poetry marking important events in our national life,” Cheney said.
“It takes work to create a country and work to keep a country, and part of that work lies in appreciating our history — and it is our history, whether our ancestors were here or not in the early days,” she said.
Alfred Tecson said he appreciates The Citizen’s Almanac because “it talks about the U.S. government and history, and helps you learn about the new country that we call home. It helps us become aware of our responsibilities as well.”
For more information, see Resources for New Immigrants on the USCIS Web site.
For more stories about U.S. society, see Diversity.
