As virtually all naturalized immigrants can tell you, in order to become a U.S. citizen, you have to pass a test about American history. But as the Christian Science Monitor reports, apparently, some policymakers think such questions are outdated and make it too easy for applicants to memorize. Therefore, many want to revamp the citizenship test so that rather than focusing on history, it would instead test applicants on their knowledge of American values and ideals:

To gain American citizenship, immigrants must be able to answer such questions as: What was the 49th state added to our Union? What color are the stars on our flag? And who wrote the Star Spangled Banner? Sound trivial? The US government thinks so, and plans to roll out a new pilot test this winter.

It will continue to be an oral test, conducted in English, and will have 10 questions. Six correct answers will earn a passing grade. But the content, which is tightly under wraps, is expected to shun simple historical facts about America that can be recounted in a few words for more explanation about the principles of American democracy, such as freedom.

The changes raise the bar - critics say too high - for immigrants to show not only that they care enough to study for a test, but also that they understand and share American values. Behind the shift is rising anxiety among Americans about high levels of immigration and European troubles with large, unassimilated communities, say observers. . . .

Immigrant advocacy groups are wary of the changes, which coincide with a review at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency that is expected to call for a substantial hike in the $400 citizenship application fees. . . . The changes in the US bring the test closer to the notion sweeping Europe that gaining citizenship requires subscribing to a set of shared values.

In summary, the idea behind revamping the citizenship test is the implicit assumption that immigrants who want to become U.S. citizens should have some degree of attachment to predominant American ideals. In theory, I don’t really have a problem with that as long as such ideals emphasize such things as freedom of speech, religion, self-determination, non-discrimination, and equality under the law. In fact, these are principles upon which this country was supposedly founded.

The potential problem with these proposed changes however, would be that first, these ideals are frequently contradicted by practical reality, especially in times of war against foreign powers. Therefore, there’s a danger of possibly highlighting such contradictions in American society, especially for those immigrants who are not White. Second, hopefully such American ideals will not veer too much into nationalistic ideology, such as some proclamation that American society is superior to all others or that we should strive to spread American culture and brand of democracy to the rest of the world.

Ultimately, I have no problems with promoting American ideals -- as long as they are the fundamental ideals upon which this country was founded, rather than “ideals” that have nationalistic or ideological connotations.