On Saturday, 150 people from 50 countries become U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia. The event takes place on July Fourth and coincides with America’s 250th birthday, with the candidates seated on folding chairs on the lawn in front of a small stage. Multiple outlets describe a large, international group preparing for the swearing-in as families watch from nearby areas shaded by trees.
The ceremonies are hosted in connection with Mount Vernon’s ongoing public events, including remarks from Anne Neal Petri, a regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, who addresses the group and extends birthday wishes to the United States. The reporting also includes examples of individual participants, such as U.S. Marine Sgt. Diakaria Sangare from Guinea, who attends in uniform and is among those sworn in.
Across the accounts, the central details are consistent: the ceremony involves 150 new citizens representing 50 countries, and it occurs at Mount Vernon on the July Fourth holiday during the national 250th anniversary celebrations.
