New thesis Paragraph

The election of Barrack Obama as the president of the United States was historic because it showed that any US citizen with the desire, dedication and talent could become the president. However, in reality, not all US citizens are eligible for the office of the president. The constitution prevents anyone born outside the US from running for the presidency, even if they are legal citizens of the US. This is a double-standard and against the spirit of democracy and equality. How can someone be told that they can achieve anything they want, only to be told later that they are ineligible to become the president of their own country? The concept of “citizens” with limited rights (essentially second-class citizens) promotes the idea that “all citizens are equal, but some are more equal than others”. Therefore it is a necessity to remove the native-born clause from the constitution in order to preserve and promote the ideal of democracy. Opponents of removing the native-born clause claim that naturalized citizens are a disloyal group; but they are simply being xenophobic, since naturalized citizens have more reasons to appreciate the freedoms and opportunities of the US. Also, they fail to consider the fact that native-born citizens are equally susceptible of putting their personal interests above the interests of their country.

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Old Thesis Paragraph

The election of Barrack Obama as the president of the United States was historic because it showed that any US citizen with the desire, dedication and talent could become the president despite their race. However in reality not all US citizens are eligible for the office of the president. The constitution bars any one not born in the US from a chance at becoming the president, even if they are legal citizens of the US. Does this seem unjust and shortsighted? At this point in history it most certainly does. As the world is becoming smaller due to technology and as we become increasingly multicultural, it becomes more and more difficult to define what an American is. In fact many famous Americans such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pamela Anderson, who are instantly recognized as “American” throughout the world are in fact not born here. So should the constitution be amended to allow any US citizen regardless of where they are born to run for the presidency? Definitely. I’ll go one step further and predict that it is inevitable.