This is a Certificate of Naturalization which belonged to my grandfather. He was born in Uruguay in 1939 and first arrived in this country on a student visa in 1969. He got it on September 17, 1987 on Ellis Island. This is a very important date because it was the 200th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution (signed in 1787). The government wanted to honor this important date by giving a select group of people their Naturalization Certificates on Ellis Island, to celebrate this event in history and to showcase the country’s freedom. He was one of 300 people who received their Naturalization Certificate at Ellis Island that day. A certificate of Naturalization is a piece of paper which certifies that a person has gained U.S citizenship by way of naturalization, and is a way for someone to prove they are an American citizen. Although he had lived in this country for over fifteen years before this date, this was the day that my Grandfather truly became a U.S. citizen. This is a very important thing to my family because it proved that my grandfather was a U.S. citizen and was legally an American. 

– AK

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant