ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the meanings and attitudes that the immigrants attach to the acquisition of American citizenship, particularly the perceived incentives and disincentives the immigrants associate with naturalization and citizenship. The majority of Ghanaian immigrants in the United States attribute their success to education, strong religious values, and a strong extended family system anchored in hard work, motivation, and deferred gratification. Child-naming ceremonies and funerals are major aspects of the church's role in the immigrant community. Two such immigrant institutions and organizational structures are the immigrant mutual benevolent societies and the churches or houses of worship. Worship and attending religious ceremonies are integral aspects of the Ghanaian immigrant community in the United States. The structure of the Ghanaian immigrant community is a major determinant of immigrant adaptation and integration. The security that is offered to immigrants who naturalize forms a significant aspect of political and cultural integration among immigrants in general.
