The Duties and Responsibilities of Citizenship Citizenship What

The Duties and Responsibilities of Citizenship

Citizenship What is a citizen? a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection What the is citizenship? position or status of being a citizen of a particular country.

Citizenship Every democratic citizen has duties that they must obey. Each citizen also has responsibilities that they should fulfill to improve the quality of their government and community.

Citizenship Duties Responsibilities • • • Serving on a jury Serving as a witness Attending school Paying taxes Obeying local, state, and national laws Draft registration Respecting the rights of others • Voting Volunteering Participating in civic life Understanding the workings of our government

Duties We must fulfill duties required by national, state, and local governments or face fines or imprisonment. Obey the Law Serve specific purposes, such as to help people get along, prevent accidents, and see that resources are used fairly Pay Taxes Government uses tax money to pay police, pave roads, and maintain armed forces. People pay a percentage of what they bring in, or on the sale of goods or even property.

Duties Defend the Nation In the U. S. all men aged 18 -25 must register with the government in case the country needs to draft, or call up men for military service; today military service is voluntary. Serve in Court Every adult citizen must be prepared to serve on a jury or as a witness at a trial if called to do so. A subpoena is when a person is ordered to appear in court

Responsibilitie s Voting There is no law mandating that citizens vote but it is very important that they have the opportunity to participate in a democracy. Remember, the government exists to serve you, but you must make your concerns known at the ballots.

Volunteering Responsibilitie s Contributing time, effort, and money to help others and to improve the community life. Be an active participant in your community Understanding Your Government plays a huge role in our daily lives, take the time to evaluate how certain laws impact you, who makes them, and understand how the political process works Having knowledge of politics helps make you an informed voter

Communities A community is a group of people who share the same interests and concerns. Each of us belongs to many communities: - neighborhood - town, city - school - church - state - country

Communities Government at all levels, provide many needs for the people of communities, but resources are limited. Governments are bureaucracies, complex systems with many departments, rules, and people in the chain of command. This often makes it difficult for government to respond quickly to social problems.

Communities Good citizens belonging to communities are concerned about the welfare or the health, prosperity, safety and happiness of all members of the community. One method of ensuring this is through the initiative process where citizens can establish policies when a change is desired. Example: Having traffic lights installed in dangerous intersections that would put members of the community in danger