What word means to keep or maintain?

The word that means to keep or maintain, on the USCIS reading vocabulary list, is Preserve. To preserve is to keep something safe, intact, or in continued existence over time, and the verb has special weight in U.S. civic life because it appears in two important oaths.

The presidential oath of office, set out verbatim in Article II, section 1, clause 8 of the Constitution, requires the new President to swear or affirm to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Every President from George Washington in 1789 to the current officeholder has taken this oath at inauguration. The Oath of Allegiance taken by naturalizing citizens, set out in 8 CFR section 337.1, similarly commits the new citizen to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States, language that captures the same preservative duty.

The Preamble to the Constitution lists among the federal government's purposes "to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity," expressing the founding generation's concern that liberty and self-government be preserved across generations. Preservation is also a duty of various government agencies: the National Archives and Records Administration preserves the records of the federal government, including the original Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights; the National Park Service preserves natural and historical sites; and the Library of Congress preserves the nation's published heritage.

Citizens preserve democratic institutions by participating in elections, serving on juries, paying taxes, and obeying the law. On the reading test Preserve may appear in a sentence about the Constitution, oaths, or the duties of citizens or officials, and recognizing the verb is the key to reading the sentence aloud.