1. Citizenship: The Rights, Duties and Responsibilities of the Office

2. Rights of Citizens are guaranteed by the Constitution
Right to vote and to hold office
Right to say what you think in speech or in writing
Right to practice your own religion
Right to have a FAIR trial
Right to be protected while in other countries

3. Duties of Citizens OBEYING the LAW
Societies formal rules are called laws
Laws
Keep us from hurting each other
Establish rules for making agreements and settling disputes
Protect citizen’s rights
Officials must base their decisions on the law, not personal opinion
Citizens must know the laws
RULE OF LAW
NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW
(Not even the PRESIDENT!)

4. Duties of Citizens Defending the Nation Duty to defend the nation
Register for military service
Men only
18th Birthday
Called to duty in a national
emergency

5. Duties of Citizens Serving on a Jury Serving as a Witness
Citizens have a right to a fair trial
Anyone that is accused of a crime may have their case decided by a jury of their peers (JURY OF PEERS is a group of ordinary citizens who hear a case and decide whether the accused person is innocent or guilty
Serving as a Witness
Witnesses – people who have seen events related to the crime or who have special information that may help determine to guilt or innocence of the person on trial

6. Duties of Citizens Paying TAXES
Through Taxes our local, state and national governments raise money to pay for services that citizens ask them to provide…what do you think the government provides citizens?

7. Some services include…

8. Duties of Citizens Attending School
Society depends on schools to make sure that young people are prepared for the future
Schools give students the knowledge, skills and experience they need to carry on the duties and responsibilities of the “office of citizen”

9. Responsibilities of Citizens
Working toward a common good, what is that???
COMMON GOOD: the well being of all members of society
Act in ways that protect the rights and freedoms of other Americans
Make your communities a good place to live

10. Responsibilities of Citizens
Learn about issues and take part in the government
VOTE
This is the basic rights of American citizens and one of our most important responsibilities
This is what sets us apart from many other forms of government

11. Responsibilities of Citizens
Holding Government Offices
Citizens who hold elected offices accept the responsibility of learning about the issues and trying to make decisions that are best for the people they represent

12. Responsibilities of Citizens
Participate in election campaigns
Another way to fulfill your responsibilities of citizenship it to help a candidate (a person who is running for office)

13. Responsibilities of Citizens
Influence Government by expressing your opinions
Persuade government to take action regarding a cause you believe in
Express our opinion in letters to the editor of your local newspaper
Fight for a cause
Become a delegate

14. Responsibilities of Citizens
Serving the Community
It is your responsibility to do whatever you can to make our communities better places to live
Obey the laws
Keep the city clean
Volunteer