Citizenship: The Rights, Duties and Responsibilities of the

Office

Rights of Citizens are guaranteed by the Constitution

• Right to vote and to hold office

• Right to say what you think in speech or in writing

• Right to practice your own religion

• Right to have a FAIR trial• Right to be protected

while in other countries

Duties of Citizens

• OBEYING the LAW– Societies formal rules

are called laws

– Laws• Keep us from hurting

each other• Establish rules for making

agreements and settling disputes

• Protect citizen’s rights

• Officials must base their decisions on the law, not personal opinion

• Citizens must know the laws

• RULE OF LAW– NO ONE IS

ABOVE THE LAW(Not even the PRESIDENT!)

Duties of Citizens

• Defending the Nation– Duty to defend the nation– Register for military service• Men only• 18th Birthday• Called to duty in a national emergency

Duties of Citizens• Serving on a Jury– Citizens have a right to a fair trial– Anyone that is accused of a crime may have their case

decided by a jury of their peers (JURY OF PEERS is a group of ordinary citizens who hear a case and decide whether the accused person is innocent or guilty

• Serving as a Witness– Witnesses – people who have seen events related to

the crime or who have special information that may help determine to guilt or innocence of the person on trial

Duties of Citizens

• Paying TAXES– Through Taxes our local, state and national

governments raise money to pay for services that citizens ask them to provide…what do you think the government provides citizens?

Some services include…

Duties of Citizens

• Attending School

– Society depends on schools to make sure that young people are prepared for the future

– Schools give students the knowledge, skills and experience they need to carry on the duties and responsibilities of the “office of citizen”

Responsibilities of Citizens

• Working toward a common good, what is that???– COMMON GOOD: the well being of all members

of society• Act in ways that protect the rights and freedoms of

other Americans• Make your communities a good place to live

Responsibilities of Citizens

• Learn about issues and take part in the government– VOTE• This is the basic rights of American citizens and one of

our most important responsibilities• This is what sets us apart from many other forms of

government

Responsibilities of Citizens

• Holding Government Offices– Citizens who hold elected offices accept the

responsibility of learning about the issues and trying to make decisions that are best for the people they represent

Responsibilities of Citizens

• Participate in election campaigns– Another way to fulfill your responsibilities of

citizenship it to help a candidate (a person who is running for office)

Responsibilities of Citizens

• Influence Government by expressing your opinions– Persuade government to

take action regarding a cause you believe in

– Express our opinion in letters to the editor of your local newspaper

– Fight for a cause• Become a delegate

Responsibilities of Citizens

• Serving the Community– It is your responsibility

to do whatever you can to make our communities better places to live• Obey the laws• Keep the city clean• Volunteer