1. Citizens Make a Difference

2. Citizens Can Help
Helping others is part of being a good citizen
What are some ways you can practice good citizenship?
-speak up to make things more fair
-obey laws or help change them to make them better
By being a good citizen, you make your community a better place to live!

3. Working Together Citizens can help more by working together
Suppose you want to pick up trash at a park. If your classmates helped, the cleanup would go faster!

4. Common Good
When people work together to benefit their community, they work for the common good.
The common good is whatever helps the most people in a community.
It can mean keeping parks clean, working to change unfair laws, and solving local problems.

5. Volunteering
Some people take part in their school, town, or city by working as volunteers.
A volunteer is a person who works freely, without pay.
Volunteers care about other people, not just themselves

6. Students Help Others
Turn to page 180 in your Social Studies book to read about a group of students who worked to better their community

7. Rights and Responsibilities

8. Rights in Our Democracy
United States citizens have many rights
Citizens need to know their rights so they can use them wisely

9. A democracy is a form of government.
In a democracy citizens govern themselves.
This means that in a democracy citizens choose their own leaders and vote on issues.
Does the United States have a democracy?
Yes! We vote for leaders and on issues! 9

10. Ancient Greece had a direct democracy.
A direct democracy is a democracy in which citizens vote directly for leaders and issues.
Ancient Greece had a direct democracy. 10

11. representative democracy.
A representative democracy is a democracy in which citizens choose leaders to represent them.
The United States has a
representative democracy.
In the United States everyone who is considered a citizen (and is 18 and older) votes for leaders to represent them and their needs. 11

12. The Constitution The Constitution is the plan for our democracy
It states the rights of citizens in the United States

13. Protect Our Rights!
The Constitution says that one job of the government is to protect our rights.

14. What are the Rights of Citizens?
Freedom to Own Property
Freedom of Religion
Our Rights
Freedom of the Press
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Assembly

15. Knowing Our Responsibilities
Citizens have many rights, but rights have limits!
For Example: You are free to say what you think. However, it is against the law to shout “Fire!” in a public place when there is no fire.

16. Knowing Our Responsibilities
Rights come with responsibilities!
A responsibility is something you should do for the common good.
Every person has responsibilities.
Rights + Responsibility = A Good Citizen!

17. Our Responsibilities Respect other people’s property 2. Obey the law
-You may not take another person’s belongings without their permission
2. Obey the law
-A person who does not obey the law may pay a fine or go to jail.
3. Adult citizens may serve on a jury
-A jury is a group of citizens chosen to decide whether a law has been broken
Adult citizens may vote

18. Respect other people’s right to practice their religion
Rights
Responsibilities
Say what you think
Speak truthfully
Vote for leaders
Be protected by laws
Obey or change laws
Trial by jury
Serve on a jury
Practice religion
Respect other people’s right to practice their religion

19. Key Terms
Election: the process by which citizens vote for people to represent them
Tax: money citizens and others pay to the government

20. Citizens Decide
Our country is a democracy. In democracies, citizens decide what the government will do.

21. How Do We Decide?
Elections

22. Electing Representatives
In the U.S. we choose people to represent, or speak for us.
We choose these people by voting in elections.

23. How Do Elections Work?
Citizens ask questions. They try to learn all that they can about the candidates before they vote.
-How might a leader improve services?
-Would a leader spend more money on
schools?
Then, the election is held. Citizens vote. The votes are counted. The person with the most votes wins the election.
3. The winner represents the people of that area in government.

24. Paying for Services To pay for services the government collects taxes.
People pay taxes on houses, land, businesses, and goods that they buy.
Tax money is used to pay for services like road repair, trash collection, and running water.

25. People and businesses pay Police and Fire Protection
How Taxes Work
Taxes pay
for these
services
Library
People and businesses pay
taxes to government
Citizens
Schools
Businesses
Police and Fire Protection

26. Branches of Government
Most governments have different parts or branches.
Each branch has different responsibilities.

27. State Government

28. Key Terms Capitol: the building where leaders meet to make laws
Governor: the leader of a state’s government

29. What is State Government?
Each state has its own constitution
This is the plan for the state’s government

30. State Leaders
Citizens elect people to lead their state government

31. The Capitol State leaders work in the state capitol.
The capitol is the building where leaders meet to make the laws.
Our capitol building is in Atlanta.

32. Branches of State Government
Every state government has 3 branches.
All three branches work together to run the state.

33. Branches of State Government
Lawmakers
Governor
Courts
State Government

34. Lawmakers Lawmakers write laws that they think will improve the state.
In Georgia, lawmakers are members of the General Assembly.
The General Assembly has 2 parts:
1. Senate
2. House of Representatives

35. General Assembly
Members of the General Assembly represent the people of their city or town.
They tell other state lawmakers what their cities or towns need.

36. If lawmakers vote for a law it goes to the……

37. Governor! The governor’s main job is to carry out state laws.
The governor signs laws to make them official.
Governors can veto (stop) new laws.

38. Courts
Judges in a court make sure laws follow the state and national constitutions.
Judges also decide whether state laws have been broken.

39. State Government Lawmakers Governor Judges
Make sure laws follow state and national constitutions
Decide punishment when laws are broken
Write new laws
Rewrite old laws
Vote on laws
Signs laws
Carries out laws
Selects state workers to head departments

40. State Services
One responsibility of state government is to provide services to citizens.
State roads
Schools
The government pays for these services with taxes.
Georgia’s governor plans how the state will spend the tax money.

41. Departments
Georgia has departments that are in charge of different services
The governor chooses people to run the departments
Ex: One department hires state police
One department helps protect state land and water from pollution
One department decides what you should learn in school each year

42. The States and the Nation
Each state is part of a nation
State governments cooperate with the national government.
Ex: The national and state governments have created highways that cross the U.S. Workers from different states, including Georgia have planned, built, and fixed the highways. Workers from the national government have made sure the plans for highways are safe.

43. National Government

44. Branches of National Government
The national government has 3 branches.
All three branches work together to run the nation.

45. Key Terms
Legislative Branch: branch of government that makes the nation’s laws
Executive Branch: branch of government that carries out the laws
Judicial Branch: branch of government that decides what the laws mean and whether they obey the Constitution
Separation of Powers: the three branches have different powers and different jobs to do
Monument: a building or statue that helps people remember a person or event.

46. *The main role is to protect citizens’ rights!
The Constitution
The Constitution describes the role of each branch.
*The main role is to protect citizens’ rights!

47. Legislative Branch
Congress
Makes the nation’s laws

49. Congress Congress is divided into 2 parts: House of Representatives
Senate

50. Congress meets in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
Meeting Place
Congress meets in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

51. Executive Branch
Carries out the laws
The President heads this branch

52. The President
After Congress has written a law it goes to the president
The president approves the law or rejects the law.
If the law is approved the president makes sure it is carried out.

54. Where Does the President Live?
The President lives and works in the white house

55. Judicial Branch Courts
Decide what laws mean and whether they obey the constitution
The Supreme Court heads this branch

56. The Supreme Court meets in the Supreme Court Building
Meeting Place
The Supreme Court meets in the Supreme Court Building
What does this building remind you of?

58. Who Pays for the Branches?
Tax dollars!
Taxes pay for the military that protects the country. They also pay for departments and services.

59. Separation of Powers
Separation of powers limits what each branch can do
Each branch has its own job to do
Protects rights in a democracy
If one branch had too much power it could take over the government
Ex: Congress makes laws, but they cannot decide if a law follows the Constitution.

60. Separation of Powers Legislative Branch Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
Congress
The President
The Supreme Court
Makes laws
Makes laws
Makes laws
Carries out laws
Carries out laws
Carries out laws
Decides what laws mean
Decides what laws mean
Decides what laws mean