Editor,

Few Americans know about the Oath of Allegiance and even fewer have seen or read it.

I thoroughly agree with the Clipper article of Dec. 6 titled “Everyone should learn the citizenship oath.” I believe that the name of the oath referred to is properly named, “Oath of Allegiance.”

Allegiance invokes a more deep respect than citizenship does. When a person take the oath, he or she renounces all allegiance to the foreign entity to which they belong and pledge their total allegiance to the U.S., even to the extent of bearing arms against the country they came from. Citizenship for naturalized individuals, although implied, is not mentioned in the oath.

Allegiance to the U.S. demands support and defense of the laws and Constitution of the U.S. Acceptance and compliance with these requirements of the Oath of Allegiance severs all and total allegiance to any country other than the U.S. 

To those willing to take this oath without any reservation and live by it, we say “the U.S. Constitution is now your constitution, American laws are your laws, American English is your language. Welcome to the greatest of all countries.”

Joseph Lawson,

Bountiful