Chapter 73: Chapter 70: The Oath of Allegiance

New York City, the United States of America
July 30th, 1778

"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 uphold truth and justice, and carry out my duties as a citizen faithfully; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; 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."

"Congratulations," Samuel said with a smile as he folded the paper which was printed with the Oath of Allegiance to the United States, "You are all American citizens on the 30th of July, in the year of our Lord 1778.

The man waited for cheers to die down as he addressed the group of one hundred or so people in front of him. "As citizens, you will enjoy all rights and liberties stated in our Constitution, which was handed to you just a few minutes ago. I suggest you go through it with your families so that you understand the document thoroughly. After all, there are several duties of an American citizen that are important to remember, such as serving on a jury when the courts are established or bearing arms against any foreign enemies. Additionally, while voting is not a requirement, I highly recommend that you do so to exercise your privilege as an American citizen and have a say in our nation's future. Furthermore, I will be hosting a citywide town hall meeting in a week's time, which any citizens are allowed to join.to debate politics or any local concerns. It will be hosted on Sunday evening, and dinner will be provided."

"My assistants and I will give all of you your citizenship certificate, which you can use to verify your identity while voting amongst other things. Please remember not to lose them, as there is a replacement fee. Otherwise, thank you for attending and all of you are dismissed."

His "assistants" were people from the printing shop that also printed the citizenship certificates a few days prior. It was a long and cumbersome process, which involved him and a few New York officials going door to door around the city to confirm each individual's length of residence in the United States (any piece of parchment that stated that they were living in the US before August 9th of 1777 did the trick). He wasn't there for the entirety of the trip around the city, but he knew that the entire process took about three weeks in total. After all the new citizens were verified, Samuel was asked to print the certificates in his printing shop and host a "citizenship ceremony." He mainly assumed this was the case because of the current governor of New York, Robert Livingston (who was also a Watchmen Society member). The governor knew that he partook a citizenship ceremony before (as Samuel was a naturalized American citizen in the future), so he wanted to replicate the process as accurately as possible. He carried out the first few ceremonies to demonstrate how it was done and other state officials followed suit and delivered. Samuel did have reservations about how he carried out the citizenship ceremonies, as his own ceremony was all but a distant memory. But as long as the people were given the Constitution (which was a bonus provided by Samuel so the people were aware of the document), understood their current status, and received their certification, he was sure it would be fine. Hopefully.

This particular group he was speaking to were workers from his ironworks and armory. The two businesses were growing rapidly, and he was already employing both locals and immigrants alike. He understood the importance of integrating and helping out new immigrants, so he ensured that they were treated fairly and cared for. He provided housing for immigrants (he managed to acquire a few more properties in New York and renovated them into housing units and was planning to build an entirely new town in his history's Fort Lee area) and did his best to find translators to prevent the language barrier from affecting the workflow. So far, a lot of German immigrants were coming from abroad, along with Swedish, Dutch, and some British immigrants as well. There were also a few African Americans coming into New York City, mainly some of his veteran marines searching out employment after their emancipation (all black soldiers that fought for the Continental Army were freed after being released from duty). Already, New York City was feeling a bit more like the United States he was familiar with; a land of immigrants and newcomers that just needed a little push to take their steps into greatness.

As he absentmindedly handed a certificate to one of his workers, the next person in line greeted the Asian man by name, "How are you, Samuel?"

Samuel's face broke out into a grin as he realized who was speaking to him, "I'm doing fine, Tom. How does it feel to be an American citizen?"

"A dream come true," The African American replied, "Ya know, I thought after this war was over... I thought that maybe they would send me back to that plantation down in Georgia again."

The man from the future's grin turned into a grimace as he recalled that several slaves that fought for the Patriots in his history were enslaved once again after the war came to an end, "If they did, I would have taken up arms against the government."

"And I would have followed. But they kept their words and now I'm free, and a citizen too! This nation is surely something else. I'm planning to visit my old friends down in Georgia soon. If Mr. Anderson is selling his farm, then I'm gonna buy it and help the others get up on their feet too! I got plenty of money on my hands now, and it ain't fair that I enjoy all this to myself," Tom said with a gaping grin.

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"Good to hear that, Tom. I'll gladly give you some time off and give you some extra money so that you can fulfill your goal. Call it an "extended vacation," Samuel answered as he patted the man on the back, "And if you must, I'll let you go back to Georgia and stay there in order to help out your fellow freedmen. After all, they need someone to educate them and help them understand their new status."

"Will do, general!" Tom gave the man a salute out of reflex, "Er, I mean Samuel. Thank you."

After the entire group left, Samuel and the others stayed behind to see if there were any leftover certificates. As he was going through a small pile of papers, a well-dressed man stepped towards him, "Bonjour."

"Ca va?"

Buonaparte switched to English. Apparently, the former noble was apt in both French and English, and very fluent in Corsican. Though, Samuel could only speak English and a bit of French currently, "Good. It was just odd to see so many commoners being granted "citizenship." I've always heard the rumors when I was staying in Paris, but even l' esclave being given rights..."

"Our nation is founded on equality, monsieur. You did also take that Oath of Allegiance too."

"Yes, but it wasn't as if I could refuse: money to pay off all my gambling debts, extra money for moving here, and vast amounts of land. Along with a chance to partake in this nation's government. The nobility title was certainly prestigious, but it hardly guaranteed financial success."

Carlo Buonaparte moved to New York City after Samuel's urgings. Originally, the man wanted to move his family to Quebec, but after Samuel guaranteed that the man would make a profit if he invested in his businesses and also recommended several farmlands west of the city to acquire for his holdings, the Buonaparte settled in New York. The man's four children were now mingling with Samuel's own children and being educated by Maria Buonparate and Elizabeth. Samuel hoped that with the right influence and teachings, Napoleon would thrive and become a strong supporter of the republic in the future (like Jackson, but that was another story).

"America is very different than Corsica or even France, but I'm sure you'll get used to it after some time."

"Indeed," Buonaparte looked over a certificate left on one of the tables, "Let us hope it grows powerful and prosperous. For our own good, and for our finances."

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