The Decline of American Citizenship

Human history is full of the stories of peasants, subjects, and tribes. Yet the concept of the “citizen” is historically rare—and was among America’s most valued ideals for over two centuries. But without shock treatment, American citizenship may soon vanish.

In "The Dying Citizen," Victor Davis Hanson outlines the historical forces that led to this crisis. The evisceration of the middle class over the last fifty years has made many Americans dependent on the federal government. Open borders have undermined the idea of allegiance to a particular place. Identity politics have eradicated our collective civic sense of self. And a top-heavy administrative state has endangered personal liberty, along with formal efforts to weaken the Constitution.

John Batchelor is the host of CBS Eye on the World, a hard news-analysis radio program featuring interviews with authors and reporters on a range of topics, from current events and world history to the natural sciences.