The Citizen and the Community

Three Categories of Rights Security Protection from unfair and unreasonable actions of government due process clause Examples: search and seizure, arrests, right to remain silent, etc.

Equality Everyone is entitled to equal protection of the laws Everyone has the right to be treated the same regardless of race, religion, or politics Protected by the 14 Amendment

Liberty The fundamental freedoms Freedom to express through speech, press, religion, assembly, petition Right to own property, trial by jury, end of slavery, voting rights

Duties of the American Citizen Duties are the “must” of citizenship One is required by law to perform these actions The success of our system of government depends upon all citizens fulfilling these duties

Obeying the Law Attending School (teaches us to think through problems, form opinions, and express ourselves clearly) Paying Taxes Serving in the Armed Forces (Selective Service- draft) (not since Vietnam) Appearing in Court

Responsibilities of the Citizen Responsibilities are the “should” of citizenship Not required by law

Voting Being Informed Taking part in government Helping your community Respecting and protecting the rights of others (tolerance) Respecting Diversity

Citizen Involvement in the Community Good citizens are concerned about the welfare of all members of the community Bureaucracy is the term for a complex system with many departments and rules Without the effort of private citizens giving their effort, many pressing social needs would go unmet Annually, more than half of all Americans volunteer to help make their communities (group of people who share the same interests) a better place to live 14 million students (6-12 grade) annually volunteer

Government is responsible for providing services, but citizens also share in the responsibility for meeting the community needs Government, because of bureaucracies, cannon respond quickly or efficient to social problems

Volunteerism Examples: PTSA, Scouts, preparing holiday meals for the needy, retirees mentoring children, leading museum tours, animal shelters, food bank, etc. (with no payment) Making donations In 2014, Americans gave $358 billion to charity Average American contributes 2% of income

Charitable Organizations As of 2014 1.5 million plus registered with the federal government Depend on ordinary people who give freely of their time (volunteerism is the heart of it) Must have some paid staff who organize, manage, budget, and oversee Examples: United Way, Scouts, Big Brothers/Sisters

School Based Programs Required by more than half of all schools for grades 6-12 Some states, students must volunteer for a high school diploma

What do these have in common?

National Service Programs Peace Corps (1961)-helps people in the poorest countries in the world-3rd world countries (started by JFK) AmeriCorps-helps people within the poorest areas of the country-volunteers receive an allowance to live on and help pay for college

Senior Corps-volunteers aged 55 and over-foster grandparents working with special needs children and works with senior based programs like Meals of Wheels USA Freedom Corps-focuses on responding to crisis at home, rebuilding communities, and extending American compassion throughout the world (brings together the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Senior Corps) American Red Cross- disaster recovery