What's the difference between a CITIZEN and a NATIONAL?

Answering that question requires an inquiry into statehood, conquest and colonialism.

To that end, I recommend anyone interested in this topic, especially in the U.S. context, check out:

"How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States." by historian Daniel Immerwahr

The book explores how Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, Hawaiians, and others were all U.S. nationals (but not citizens) at one point.

Also why do so many Americans remain hazy, if not, outright uninformed on this point?

Some of those U.S. nationals were entitled to, and GOT U.S. passports.

Also that phenomenon of a "non-citizen U.S. national" still exists today for those born in American Samoa, Swains Island and U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.

Those modern day U.S. nationals also get U.S. passports, despite not being U.S. citizens (another reason to be sharp in the distinction between concepts of "citizenship" and "passport").

Anyway, check out the book.

#citizenship #nationality #USA #empire #colonialism