Background:

One 10-year-old girl decided that she wants to become president when she becomes of age. However, this little girl is special. She was adopted from China when she was 10 months old. Why is this such a big deal? She cannot become president of the United States because the constitution denies the that right to any person who is not naturally born in the United States. What is she doing about this? She is speaking before the Mass. State house, in order to ask for them to pass a resolution asking congress to change the law.

The debate:

Should non-natural born citizens be allowed to run for president?

Pros:

• It would allow for well qualified individuals who were not born in the United States to run for office and improve our country.
• It would allow for all citizens of the United States to run for office.
• There would be a more diverse presidential race.

Cons:

• Leaders from other countries could come to the United States to take over the government.
• Racial Biasness could play a role in the selection of candidates.
• Individuals who just arrived in the United States could now run for office and have no experience with the issues.
• Individuals could become bias towards helping their home country and in return hurt the United States

The Writer’s opinon:

Personally, I feel as though I have mixed feelings on the issue. I feel like security could become in jeopardy if we allow for non-natural born citizens to run for office. This does not mean that I believe all non-natural born citizens are a threat. I feel as though the threat will exist. However, does that threat constitute us eliminating the opportunity for all citizens of the United States? In the case of the little girl, who was adopted at 10 months old, I believe she should be allowed to run for office because she has no recollection of what China was even like. There was not enough time for her to absorb the culture of China. She is basically an American with a small amount of time of being Chinese. This does not mean that she should automatically become president, she should at least be able to contend with others who wish to hold the office. Let the person who seems to be best fit for the position win.

Call to action:

I challenge you as a reader to create your own opinion on the issue and share it in the comments section or when you share the article on social media. This is an excellent question that we as Americans should be asking ourselves. Do all citizens deserve to be able to run for office?