“Yes, yes, this is all true, but seemingly beside the point. The point I am getting at is how the word “Citizen” came to be used by a populace accustomed to the word “Subject.” Why did we substitute the word “Citizen” for that of the more familiar word “Subject”?”
I can’t see that we or the Swiss ever did so. Slaves were subjects. The Amerindian tribes were and areare subjects of the United States. Many of the inhabitants of Switzerland are subjects of the Swiss government/s.
US professor loses Swiss citizenship bid
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-29644880