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Four ways to gain U.S. citizenship
You were born in U.S. or in one of its territories
 One (or both) of your parents were U.S. citizens when you were born
 You have gone through Naturalization
 You were less than 18 years old when your parent(s) were naturalized.
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Naturalization
 ATE-P35-LOG
 Age 18
 Test on history and government
 English Speaking
 Permanent resident
 3 Months in current state
 5 years in the U.S.
 Loyalty to the principals of the Constitution
 Oath of Citizenship
 Good moral character
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Naturalized citizens have all the same rights as natural born citizens except the
ability to be President or Vice President.
Citizens control their government by voting for their representatives.
You can give up your citizenship, or it can be taken away if you attempt to
overthrow the government.
Or…
Consider:
 What would be some advantages/disadvantages?
 What rights would you have?
 What might stronger/smarter try to do?
 What might weaker/less skilled try to do?
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British Philosopher
1632-1704
Wrote “Two Treatises of Government” in 1689
Huge influence on founding fathers
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State of Nature – a condition in which no
governments or laws exist
Natural Rights
Life
 Liberty
 Property
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Are people generally GOOD or generally SELFISH?
Government requires CONSENT of the governed.
The main role of government is to PROTECT these
rights.
People create a SOCIAL CONTRACT to create a
government to help ensure these rights.
 Rights
 BENEFITS
of citizenship
 Duties
 REQUIREMENTS
of citizenship
 Responsibilities
 EXPECTATIONS
of citizenship
The Constitution gives us the basic rights to “life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
 Some specific rights include:
- Right to be secure
- Right to vote
from unreasonable
- Right to free speech
searches and seizures
- Right to practice any
- Right to privacy in all
religion
matters in which the
- Right to a fair trial
rights of others are
- Right to petition the
not violated
government
- Right to assemble
- Right to bear arms
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Obey the law
Defend the nation
 How do we fulfill this duty?
 Does everyone fulfill this duty?
Serve on a jury
Serve as a witness
 Subpoena - a writ commanding a person
designated in it to appear in court under a
penalty for failure
Pay taxes
Attend school
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Voting
Holding government office
Participating in election campaigns
Influencing government
Serving in the community
How many of these have you or your parents
participated in?
Other ways you or your parents participate in
government?
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To protect rights
To promote peace and
order
To promote justice and
equality
To settle disputes
To address and solve
problems
In your notes, think of some laws that you follow (or
don’t follow) every day.
Laws we AGREE with
Laws we DISAGREE with
Pick a specific law that you disagree with and explain:
1.
Why do you disagree with this law?
2.
What GOOD things might happen if this law was removed?
3.
What BAD things might happen if this law was removed??
Examples of laws you might choose:
● Must be 14 to work
● Downloading free music is illegal
● Driving age is 16
● Must attend school until age 16
● Local curfews
● Drinking age is 21
● Narcotics (drugs) are illegal
● Any other law you have cleared with the teacher
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Readings:
Civics book: Pgs. 56-67
 We The People book: Pgs. 14-20 (John Locke)
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Main Topics:
1.
John Locke
 Natural Rights
 Role of Government
2.
Who is a citizen?
 4 ways of becoming a U.S. citizen
 The naturalization process
3.
4.
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Rights, Duties, and Responsibilities of Citizenship
What is the purpose of laws?
Multiple Choice, True/False, Short Answer
Use Notes and Homework to study