American Romanticism: What does it mean to be a Citizen?

What does it mean to be a citizen? Prejudice has always been a problem in history. As depicted in 19th century literature, the Native Americans and slaves endured hardship acquiring human rights as well as citizenship. For example, Elias Boudinot's "An Address to the Whites", Douglass' "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" and a children's ABC poem, "To Our Little Readers". In all of these pieces, it depicts how these particular races …showed first 75 words of 1039 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1039 total…servitude. They were considered "property" not human beings who did not deserve equality and rights. Whether one is a Native American or a slave, the hard reality is that if they are not "White", they will face discrimination. Whether it is because of skin color, religion, origin or who they are, or all of the above. Although they are "Americans", claiming citizenship that is rightfully theirs will be problematic. All three texts portray this hardship.