There are three categories of rights that are important to democracy and to American citizens: personal rights, political rights, and economic rights.

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Legal permanent residents enjoy most of the rights of citizens. An adult permanent resident may apply for citizenship after living in the United States legally for five years.

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In the United States, there are no degrees or classes of citizenship. In this country, citizenship does not depend on a person's race, gender, or ethnic origin. Every citizen is a full member of the political community.

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During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the American ideal of self-government spread around the world.

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Each branch of the U.S. government has certain powers that come from the Constitution.

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In the aftermath of World War II, fifty nations gathered together in San Francisco to create the United Nations.

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Today, the nations of the world are increasingly dependent on each other.

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International law consists of those rules that regulate how countries behave toward one another. It is usually made by treaties that nation-states make among themselves.

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Due process of law involves two government responsibilities: (1) to protect the rights of an individual who may have broken the law, and (2) to protect everyone else from people who break the law and endanger the lives, liberty, or property of others.

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The Fifth Amendment says, "No Person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This applies to the federal government. The Fourteenth Amendment includes actions by the states.

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