The New Yorker:

At ceremonies in Arizona, hundreds of people were naturalized, and many prepared to vote.

By Rachel Monroe

Every year, the United States welcomes hundreds of thousands of new citizens in naturalization ceremonies that manage to be both banal and deeply moving. An official leads the room in the Pledge of Allegiance; citizens-to-be repeat the unwieldy phrases of the Oath of Allegiance, promising to “abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty” to which they have “heretofore been a subject or citizen.” Everyone claps and sings a patriotic song.

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