Tom Purcell: Civics lessons for the Fourth Tom Purcell - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review You can become an American citizen by being born in the U.S. or you can become one by getting “naturalized.” Becoming naturalized is a heck of a lot harder. It not only means having to meet all the legal and residency requirements Congress has established, it means passing a U.S. civics test that would stump a random cable-news talk show host. Sadly, based on the results of the civics test they take, naturalized American immigrants understand the uniqueness of their adopted country better that many native-born Americans.