Citizenship candidates take the Oath at public parks and historic landmarks nationwide

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will celebrate the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and our nation’s birthday, by welcoming more than 7,000 new U.S. citizens during nearly 100 naturalization ceremonies across the country between June 30 and July 4.

“As we celebrate the birth of our country on July Fourth, more than 7,000 new Americans will also celebrate the fulfillment of their dreams of citizenship,” USCIS Director León Rodríguez said. “These new Americans will strengthen the fabric of our nation with their contributions to American society and prosperity, and be able to enjoy all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship.”

USCIS is committed to promoting awareness and understanding of citizenship. USCIS offers a variety of free naturalization preparation resources for citizenship applicants and teachers, including materials like the Establishing Independence (PDF, 2.41 MB)lesson plan, in our Citizenship Resource Center. Immigrant-serving organizations can register to receive a free Civics and Citizenship Toolkit to help permanent residents prepare for naturalization.

The importance of the Declaration of Independence and Independence Day in the United States is reflected in several places on the naturalization test. Prospective citizens may see them in six different questions on the civics test, including, “What did the Declaration of Independence do?” and “When do we celebrate Independence Day?” To help applicants prepare for the civics test, we are launching a series of 100 short videos on YouTube – one video for each civics question on the naturalization test. The videos include subtitles in different languages, including English and Spanish, with more languages to follow.

USCIS’ Independence Day activities this year will feature a naturalization ceremony at the William Paca House and Garden in Annapolis, Maryland, on July 4. During this event, USCIS Director León Rodríguez will administer the Oath of Allegiance and deliver congratulatory remarks to 24 new Americans.

Other ceremonies include events at:

New York Public Library in New York, New York, on July 1.

James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 1.

Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos, New Mexico, on July 4.

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 4.

Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington, on July 4.

Crater Lake National Park in Crater Lake, Oregon, on July 4.

To view a complete list of 2016 Independence Day naturalization ceremonies, please visit uscis.gov/news.

Try out our civics practice test, available in English and Spanish, and test your knowledge of U.S. history and government – including the six questions related to America’s independence.

We encourage new citizens, their families and friends to share their experiences and photos from naturalization ceremonies on social media using the hashtag #newUScitizen.

For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit uscis.gov and follow us on Facebook (/uscis), Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.