Citizenship
Table of Contents:
-Vocabulary
-E Pluribus Unum
-Changing Public Policy If You Don’t Like It
-Civic Responsibilities vs. Civic Duties
-Why Should I Perform Civic Responsibilities?
- EOC Practice Questions
Vocabulary:
Citizenship-
the character of an individual viewed as a member of
society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations,
Inalienable Rights /Citizens’ Rights/Legal Rights/
Rights that cannot be taken away from you;
enlightenment thinkers referred to them as “life, liberty
& property”; Thomas Jefferson referred to them as “life,
liberty & the pursuit of happiness.”
Civic Responsibilities-
roles that citizens are expected to carry out, but these
roles are not mandatory. There is no punishment for
not performing these tasks
Required Civic Responsibilities(also can be referred to as “Civic Duties”)
roles that each citizen of a country must carry out,
punishments or other consequences usually result in
failing to do so
Naturalization-
The 5-step process one must go through in order to
become a citizen of the United States
Public Policy-
The course of action the government takes in response
to an issue or a problem
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------E Pluribus Unum:
• It is a Latin phrase meaning “One from many”.
• The phrase offered a strong statement of the
American determination to form a single nation
from collective states.
How does this phrase reflect the population of the
United States today?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Reading #1:

Changing Public Policy if You Don’t Like It
There are many ways to legally change policy and
protest rights violations, but threats, violence, and
breaking the law are not effective, safe, or legal.

Changing public opinion helps to change
government policy, and gathering signatures on a
petition, speaking up about issues at local
government board meetings, or writing editorials are
examples of legal ways you can work to change
laws or practices you may disagree with.

Running for office is a direct way to change public
policy. Some people run for office at different levels
of government. Different positions have different
requirements, but most require a person to be the
resident of the state or county he or she is running
for.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Make annotations below as you read the passage on the
left:
Matching:
Decide whether each role listed is a responsibility or a
required responsibility
Put an “X” in the appropriate box.
Responsibility
Required Responsibility
Be educated and well
informed
Registering to Vote/
Voting
Paying Taxes
Jury Duty
Running for office in an
election.
Being respectful toward
others
Take part in community
activities
Serving in the military
Obeying laws
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Reading #2:
Although Civic Responsibilities Are Not Mandatory,
They Are Important to a Democracy.

One of the most important rights shared by
American citizens is the right to vote. U.S. citizens
have to be 18 years old to vote.In order to have a
government that represents everyone, each citizen
should become informed about the issues and go to
the polls on Election Day.

Voting is more accessible in the United States today
than when the nation was first founded. The
Fifteenth Amendment took away racial restrictions
on voting. The Nineteenth Amendment took away
restrictions against women voting. The Twentyfourth Amendment eliminated poll taxes, which had
often been used to keep blacks from voting. The
Twenty-sixth Amendment allowed 18-year-olds to
vote.
(con’t on next page)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Make annotations below as you read the passage:
Reading #2 (con’t):

Make annotations below as you read the passage:
Voting allows citizens to select representatives to
lead their government. This gives them more
freedom than citizens in one-party nations like Cuba
or China. In a one-party nation, citizens can only
vote for candidates that are members of a single
political party.

While voting does not give citizens total control over
the government, it is a means by which they state
their opinions on public policy, and politicians must
pay attention to these opinions in order to remain in
office. Citizens are able to vote for national leaders
(such as the president and Congress members),
state leaders (such as the governor), and local
leaders (such as city council members).

There is no law that citizens must be educated on
issues, but uninformed voting hurts democracy
more than it helps.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EOC Practice Questions:
Which statement best describes the importance of
educating oneself in the United States society?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Jury duty is a legal responsibility that adult citizens are
normally required to do. What is the primary reason for
requiring jury duty?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Which of these situations illustrates citizens
responsibly practicing the freedoms of a
democratic society?
------------------------------------------------------------------------A) Educating oneself is necessary for being a full
participant in society.
B) Educating oneself is required of all citizens who
attend school.
C) Educating oneself is a luxury reserved for privileged
people with time.
D) Educating oneself is important when you want to run
for office.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------A)to keep a record of the population
B) to guarantee a fair trial
C)to allow the use of free speech
D)to instill patriotism
-------------------------------------------------------------------------A)Melissa loudly argues with the grocery store manager
about high food prices.
B) Lindsay falsely accuses Jim of reckless driving in the
local newspaper.
C)Billy celebrates homecoming by honking his car horn
in a residential neighborhood at
midnight.
D)Miko and some friends picket the local shoe factory
because of recent layoffs.
EOC Practice Questions:
2000 Presidential Election
Percentage of Eligible Voters Who Cast a Ballot
 18–24 Years Old 29%
 All Voters 55%
Which of these can best be concluded from the
information in the chart?
------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1980: Candy Lightner establishes Mothers Against
Drunk Driving (MADD) to advocate for strong drunk
driving laws
 1988: Minimum drinking age set at twenty-one in all
fifty states
 1992: Alcohol-related driving deaths drop 26
percent since 1984
The best title for the chart is:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------"The most powerful, and perhaps the only, means of
interesting men in the welfare of their country which we
still possess is to make them partakers in the
government."
Which statement best reflects Tocqueville's point of
view?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Which of the following is a required duty of a good
citizen in a democracy today?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Which of the following is an example of a required civic
responsibility?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------As a good American citizen, it is important to respect
the diversity of this country. Unfortunately,
discrimination has been an ongoing struggle for
centuries. What is the best way for citizens to correct
this?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------How does a civic responsibility such as voting benefit
citizens?
A) Many Americans did not know their political rights.
B) Many college students volunteered in their
communities.
C) Many young people neglected their civic
responsibilities.
D) Many American citizens actively participated in civic
life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------A) The Critical Need for Federal Speed Limit Reform
B) The Growing Problem of Drunk Driving in the United
States
C)Why Alcohol Advertising Needs to Be Banned
D) How an Individual Citizen Helped Improve Community
Safety
-------------------------------------------------------------------------A) Becoming involved in society will make businesses
prosper.
B) Taking an active role in society will help promote
contributions to a nation.
C) Encouraging people to become involved in
communities will improve schools.
D) Participating in the creation of legislation is
particularly important for young citizens.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------A)being educated and informed
B) volunteering
C) voting
D) obeying the law
-------------------------------------------------------------------------A) joining the military
B) running for mayor
C) voting in elections
D) paying taxes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------A) keep judgments to oneself
B) maintain a critical attitude
C) stay away from those who are different
D) learn tolerance and understanding
-------------------------------------------------------------------------A) Voting gives citizens a chance to impact public policy.
B) Voting is a privilege required by law for all citizens.
C) Voting gives citizens total control of politics.
D) Voting is a right granted to both citizens and noncitizens.