With the hustle and bustle of Election Day coming this week, I think immigration is an important topic to consider since both candidates have very different opinions. One wants to build a wall and the other wants to open the floodgates. I am not going to argue one way or the other, but after working with an English as a Second Language program it really made me appreciate what great education I have been given just because I understand English. I spent over a month working with a Mexican immigrant mother who has four children. She is not a United States citizen yet because she is working on learning English, as well as unnecessary United States history. The fact of the matter is that maybe she is learning some of the English in order to help her children with their homework, but the history portion of the test she is simply memorizing. She is not learning because in all honesty, most American citizens don't have that kind of extensive knowledge of United States history past age 18. Here are some of the questionsI routinely ask my student who desperately wants to be part of our country. Let's see which ones you can get right.

1. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

2. When was the Constitution written?

3. If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes president?

4. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

5. What does the President's cabinet do?

6. What is one thing that Benjamin Franklin isn't famous for?

7. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

8. Which one of these is a right for everyone living in the U.S.?

a. To vote in a federal election

b. To bear arms

c. To run for federal office

9. Who signs bills to become laws?

10. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

These are 10 of the 100 possible questions any immigrant can be asked. You have to be nearly perfect during the test in order to become a citizen. I think if we are expecting our new citizens to know all of this we should test our general public to realize that our expectations are way too high.

Answers:

1. 27

2. 1787

3. The Speaker of the House

4. Free the slaves in the Confederacy

5. Advise the President

6. Founding Philadelphia

7. April 15th

8. To bear arms

9. The President

10. Checks and Balances