The Oath of Allegiance
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Taking the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony
on the U.S.S. Midway, San Diego, CA. Courtesy of USCIS.
When you take the Oath of Allegiance at your naturalization ceremony, you make several
important promises of loyalty to the United States. Loyalty means showing consistent
support to something or someone. At your naturalization ceremony, you will raise your right
hand and say the Oath. Aer the Oath, you become a U.S. citizen. As a new citizen, you have
new responsibilities and duties that you promised in the Oath.
The complete Oath is below. You can watch You can use the closed captioning while you
the video of a USCIS Naturalization Oath watch the video or pause the video and listen
Ceremony here or visit https://www.youtube. to a section at a time.
com/watch?v=kuvBn8sduGE
The Oath of Allegiance
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all
allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom
or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;
…that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of
America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
…that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
…that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;
…that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States
when required by the law;
The Oath of Allegiance
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…that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when
required by the law; and
…that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of
evasion; so help me God.”
What are the Key Principles?
The key principles of the Oath of Allegiance mean the main ideas in each section or
paragraph. You must understand the key principles of each section. The Oath has words
that may be new to you. With your teacher, review the meanings and pronunciation of
these words and phrases.
Key Principles in the Oath of Allegiance
Here are the key principles you will study in this lesson:
• I promise to completely give up all loyalty to leaders and governments of other countries
where I was a subject or citizen before.
• I promise that I will protect the Constitution and all laws from all enemies, from other
countries, or from inside the United States.
• I promise that my loyalty is to the United States only.
• I promise I will use a weapon if the U.S. government asks me to.
• I promise to serve in the military performing duties other than combat if the U.S.
government asks me.
• I promise to do other non-military work that is important to the country if the U.S.
government asks me.
• I promise, before God, all this without influence from anyone or hesitation.
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The next part breaks the Oath into seven sections. Here are steps to help you learn
about the Oath:
1. Listen to each section on the video several times (or listen to your teacher read
it out loud).
2. In pairs or a small group, discuss the key principle of that section.
3. Review the list of New Words/Phrases and their meanings with your teacher.
4. Practice the pronunciation of the words.
5. Practice reading the whole section out loud by repeating aer your teacher.
6. Complete the activity at the end of each section.
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SECTION
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all
allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of
whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;
Key principle: I promise to completely give up all loyalty to leaders and governments of
other countries where I was a subject or citizen before.
WORDS AND PHRASES IN THE OATH
(to) declare absolutely and entirely
(to) renounce and abjure
fidelity
foreign prince, potentate, state,
sovereignty
heretofore
subject or citizen
MEANING
(t
o) promise or announce something you believe
completely
(to) give something up or (to) let go
loyalty
a king or queen, a royal person, a ruler of a or
country
before now
person who is controlled by a king or belongs to a
country
DI
SCUSSION ACTIVITY
Renounce and abjure means to give up something important. A new U.S. citizen must
renounce all loyalty to any king or queen outside the United States. Why do you think
this is important?
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SECTION
…that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United
States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
Key principle: I promise that I will protect the Constitution and all laws from all enemies,
from other countries, or from inside the United States.
WORDS IN THE OATH
MEANING
(to) support
(to) hold up as important
(to) defend
(to) protect, (to) fight for
against
(to) be opposite
enemies
people who hurt or threaten you
foreign
of another country or nationality
domestic
of your own country
MATCHING ACTIVITY
Match each word with its meaning. Do not look at the list above until you are finished.
1. defend people who hurt or threaten you
2. foreign hold up as important
3. against of your own country
4. support protect, fight for
5. domestic of another country or nationality
6. enemies to be opposite
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SECTION
…that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
Key principle: I promise that my loyalty is to the United States only.
WORDS IN THE OATH
(to) bear
true faith and allegiance
(to) make a promise
MEANING
complete belief and loyalty
DISCUSSION ACTIVITY
What are some people or things that you show allegiance to? How do you show allegiance?
Why do you think it is important to show allegiance?
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SECTION
…that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;
Key principle: I promise I will use a weapon if the U.S. government asks me to.
WORDS IN THE OATH
(to) bear arms
on behalf of the United States
required by the law
MEANING
(to) carry a gun or weapon
(to) do it for the United States
the law says you must do something
FILL IN THE CHART ACTIVITY
The U.S. Armed Forces has 7 dierent branches. Visit https://www.defense.gov/Our-Story/
Our-Forces . Fill in the branches in the diagram below.
U.S. Armed Forces
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SECTION
…that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United
States when required by the law;
Key principle: I promise to serve in the military performing duties other than combat if
the U.S. government asks me.
(Some examples of noncombatant service are civilian work, such as doing administrative
duties, cooking for the military, helping in a military hospital, working as a chaplain, etc.)
WORDS IN THE OATH
(to) perform
noncombatant service
armed forces
required by the law
MEANING
(to) do or (to) act
do something that does not include fighting in a
war
military
the law says you must do something
FILL IN THE VERB ACTIVITY
Here are some things that are required by law. From the word bank, choose the correct verb
for each phrase. Write the verb in the blank.
Word Bank
pay file register obey serve stop
1. ______________ for a red light
4. ______________ on a jury
2. ______________ for Selective Service
5. ______________ all laws
3. ______________ child support
6. _______________ federal income taxes
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SECTION
…that I will perform work of national importance under civilian
direction when required by the law; and
Key principle: I promise to do non-military work that the U.S. government says is important
to the country.
(Some examples of this work are health care, taking care of young children or old people, etc.)
WORDS IN THE OATH
MEANING
(to) perform
(to) do something
national importance
something that the country needs
under civilian direction
the oicials tell you to do something; not the
military
required by the law
the law says you must do something
Give Examples
Think about the current events in the United States. Work in pairs or small groups and
discuss ways that people can help their community and their country, besides serving in the
military?
1. ____________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________
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SECTION
…that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of
evasion; so help me God.”
Key principle: I promise, before God, all this without influence from anyone or hesitation.
WORDS IN THE OATH
obligation
freely
without any mental reservation
(without) purpose of evasion
so help me God
MEANING
something you must do
by yourself; without being pushed or required
no question in your mind; free to think something
without lying or avoiding
before God
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE
Think about dierent obligations that people have. Finish each sentence.
Parents have an obligation to ________________________________________________
Children have an obligation to ________________________________________________
U.S. citizens have an obligation to _____________________________________________
I have an obligation to _____________________________________________________
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EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Vocabulary – Verb Practice
FILL-IN EXERCISE
Read the verbs in the Word Bank. Write the correct verb in the blanks for each sentence
below.
Hint: Some words may be used twice.
Word Bank
perform
support
declare
bear arms
renounce
take
defend
bear
Fill in the Blanks
1. I hereby _________, on oath…
2. I absolutely and entirely _________________ and abjure all allegiance and fidelity…
3. I will __________ and _________ the Constitution and laws of the United States…
4. I will ___________ true faith and allegiance…
5. I will _____________ _____________ on behalf of the United States…
6. I will _______________ noncombatant services in the Armed Forces of the United
States…
7. I will _______________ work of national importance…
8. I ______________ this obligation freely…
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EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Why Do You Think? — Responsibilities
There are many responsibilities of U.S. citizens. Why do you think these responsibilities are
considered important? Write a sentence about each one and discuss your ideas with the
class.
Remember: These are your opinions – there is no right or wrong answer.
1. Be loyal to the Constitution.
____________________________________________________________________
2. Obey the laws of the United States.
____________________________________________________________________
3. Register for the Selective Service.
____________________________________________________________________
4. Pay federal taxes.
____________________________________________________________________
5. Serve on a jury.
____________________________________________________________________
6. Vote in elections.
____________________________________________________________________
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EXTENSION ACTIVITY – WRITING PRACTICE
Why do you want to become a U.S. citizen? What does the Oath of Allegiance mean to you?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
EXTENSION ACTIVITY – SPEAKING PRACTICE
Use your cell phone to record yourself reading the Oath of Allegiance out loud. Send the
recording to your teacher or classmate.
For more practice, visit Preparing for the Oath, U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship:
https://americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/learn/responsibilities/53/learn
