1. BR: T3D6
(No Bellringer Question Today) Finish prepping your Bill Proposals, and be ready to present them to committee (in 20 minutes). Yes, your bill proposal in its final form is in fact due today! If you are not fully prepared, do the best you can do get ready. You knew what was expected, and should have been prepared. That’s on you. We will spend 15 or so minutes for all bills to be presented, including committee questioning. I will need a copy of your bill before you present, for the committee members and myself. I can copy it on my printer if we need to.

2. Bill Committee Hearing
Committee Members (~5; for each bill, this group will change): You will get 5 minutes to review the bills. Then, each group will present their bills for ~2 minutes. You are allowed to ask questions. I’ll let you know when it’s time to proceed to the next bill.
2 min: Afterwards, you will quietly talk and decide. You will decide whether the bill should be voted on by the rest of Congress or not.
Final Vote: The class will vote on the bills. If they get +50%, it will come to Mr. Wright, the president. Any that are vetoed must get 2/3rds of the vote to become law, in another, second vote.

3. Ch. 7.5 Sect. 3: Citizens in America
U.S. History I
Ch. 7.5 Sect. 3: Citizens in America

4. Rights of Americans
We as Americans have three basic types of rights, as protected by the U.S. Constitution:
Right to be protected from unfair treatment by the government
Right to equal treatment under the law
Right to basic freedoms
The 5th Amendment states that no person shall: “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. This idea, Due Process, means government has to follow outlined procedures, and treat all fairly.

5. Freedoms, Limits, etc.
The 14th Amendment guarantees “equal protection of the laws”, for ALL Americans (esp. slaves, the big issue at the time), also ensuring due process. VID
The Bill of Rights outlines our most basic freedoms as Americans, such as freedom of speech, assembly, religion, etc. And, the 9th Amendment states that these rights are not the only ones we have as Americans. This explains how other rights, like voting at age 18 (26th Amendment) have been added / allowed.
These rights are not unlimited however. Today, we still discuss & debate what the proper balance is between the laws and the rights of the individual.

6. Citizenship in America
We are citizens, or people who owe our loyalty to our country in exchange for protection and rights. There are several ways to gain citizenship:
Be born in the U.S.
Have a parent that is an American citizen
Become naturalized, or a citizen through legal methods.
Naturalization, the last one, is the hardest. Here are the basic requirements:
Must be 18 years old
Must have been a legal, permanent resident for 5+ years*
Must be of good character and know, accept the Constitution & laws of the U.S.
Must understand English*, as well as the basic history and principles of the American government
Must be willing to give up allegiances to other countries VID Do you think this is fair?

7. Duties vs Responsibilities
Duties are things we are required by law to do. Responsibilities are things we all ought to do, but we are not forced to legally. Keeping both allows our government and communities to function the best possible way.
Duties: #1. Obey the Law. We must all obey the law.
Laws help maintain order / peace
Protect health, safety, property, etc. of all citizens
Laws can be changed, however. If you believe some are unjust, the proper channel is to talk with your elected representative to get that changed (like we did in the Bill Activity)

8. Duties, Continued:
#2. Taxes: We must all pay our taxes. Sorry, but taxes pay for defense, social services, roads, bridges, etc. Can’t function without them.
#3. Selective Service: Men must be ready to defend the nation. The draft (forced military service) is not in place now, but if war came, it might be brought back.
#4. Jury Duty The right to a jury means we must be willing to serve as jurors at times. Or, we might have to serve as a witness.

9. Responsibilities
Responsibilities are not required, and thus they are more vague.
So what are some of our responsibilities as American citizens?
Know what the government is up to. If the government knows that its actions are not popular, it usually will follow the people’s wishes.
Be informed. Knowing your rights will help you and others preserve them from government overreach.
Vote. The best way to effect change in our government is through voting, whether it is a local election or for President. Do you disagree with what the government is doing? Vote for people who agree with you!
Volunteer: Our community always needs help; you can serve others through volunteering, and make this country more the way you want it to be.
Respecting others. You may disagree with others, but its very important that we respect the rights of all others, just as they respect our rights. If we cannot do that, our democracy will fail. VID

10. HW Reminder:
No other HW. We will be having a test next time, so review the reading Civics in Action Handbook / your guided notes (aka Ch. 7.5; see my website). Make sure you have your guided notes for the review, and to be turned in.
We will also be having a binder check that same day as the test. Make sure that you have it ready. See me for details if you are new or aren’t sure what you ought to have for that.