American Citizen Participation

On November 4, 2008, history was made. 67 million of 120 million of Americans voted Barack Obama to be the 44th President of the United States and the first black President. According to the United States Census Bureau, 65% of blacks went to the polls and those voters aged 18-24 was 55% (File, 2014), which was the highest voting turnout of blacks in history but, the grassroots, advocacy, and community organizing done by black youth? Those numbers aren’t as high as they were in the 1960s, the rise of the civil rights movement and the level of black political participation since of the 1960s which is historically unprecedented in black history and possibly of any other major race in America has not be surpassed. So why has the political involvement of black youth decreased since the rise of the civil rights movement?

In America, you hear that citizens have and are entitled to many “rights.” You have a right to remain silent. You have a right to free speech. You have the right to “keep and bear arms,” a right to have “equal protection under the law,” and a right to education. When these rights are infringed on, Americans get very defensive. But yet in today’s individualistic society, many forget that as citizens of “The Land of the Free,” you also have responsibilities. You are responsible for supporting and defending the Constitution. You are responsible for respecting and obeying federal, state, and local laws. You are responsible for staying informed of the issues affecting your community, for participating in the democratic process, and for respecting

In this country we live in a republic, with that comes the responsibility of civic duty. Fulfilling your civic duty means doing things like registering to vote, registering for the draft and being a productive and responsible citizen. Fulfilling your civic duty is the responsibility of all citizens.

John F. Kennedy, our nation’s 35th President once said, “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” I, an American, firmly believe in this quote. I believe that in order for any government to be effective, it must require active participation of its citizens. I also believe that by attending Virginia Girls State, I would be able to fulfill my ambitions of exercising leadership and citizenship. Not only would I receive those benefits, but I would also gain experience of living with similar individuals as self-governing citizens with the duties of American citizenship. I am truly interested to learn about the creation of city, country and state governments and to get the opportunity to

American civic participation has changed in the 20th century. The first way civic participation has changed is social liberation. Since the 1960s or so, exclusions on the basis of race and gender have been breached. In the past, women and ethnic minorities were not allowed to join organizations as members, so they joined partner organizations. However, some organizations were unable to cope with change after the Civil Rights Movement happened and ideals changed and lost membership. Another change is the decline in American patriotism. Skocpol writes, “Patriotism, brotherhood, and sacrifice were values celebrated by all fraternal groups, and military service was touted as the surest

Citizen participation in the government is not a right given to all citizens worldwide. The model of democracy is often taken for granted by Americans, but the ability to elect government officials and voice opinions on government initiatives and referenda is an incredible opportunity in the United States of America. We, as citizens, have an ability to ignite change, reform the government, and build a country that we believe in and are proud of. Therefore, the right to vote should not be taken lightly. All people afforded this right should take full advantage of the opportunity and truly invest in the government. Political participation depends on multiple factors, one of the most influential being socioeconomic status.

The article "Political Participation: Does Religion Matter?" by Jones-Correa M. and Leal D. researches the impact of regularly attendance at church on civic participation. The article test the findings from “Voice and Equality Civic Voluntarism in American Politics regarding political participation variance between Catholics and Protestants and ethnic groups. They find that "All things being equal, those regularly attending church participation more than those who do not." In contrast to the prior study they believe that regular attendance is the driver of participation vs race and religious denomination. They believe that people who attend church on a regular basis have a strong social network. The network includes people that have the

Voter Participation/turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Which varies by country based on sex, race, and religion. Also, age and citizenship are usually one the principles.

Due to a democratic government being established in the United States, it’s important to have its residents participate in activities. Having an interactive community helps the government develop an efficient society. Americans need to be politically engaged, if not their voice will not be heard during elections thus the government will not know what they want, interfering with the way of life the citizens live on a day to day basis.

Also, we have the right to vote for who represents us in Congress or Senate, it helps us chose exactly who will represent what we want changed or the same beliefs/viewpoints. Or being able have a different religion than some else and being able to worship whoever you want, it is about being able to express ourselves in ways many other countries can’t. On another note, what comes with rights mush come with responsibilities of U.S. citizens and/or residents of knowing government or politics. You should know what the difference between the three levels of laws is, (local, state and federal) because it allows us to know what each level does for you or your community. Also, letting others voice their opinions or beliefs, because that comes with Freedom of Speech. Even though you might not have the same common ground, everyone is trying their best to make a better community, state, or country. Furthermore, you should know what is happening in your own town or city, because that is where you live, and you should want to know what you can do to make an efficient

They’re many reasons why it is vital to participate in civics and political events. One reason is that in America, we are the ones who “make up” the government and we have the privilege to choose our “leader” or president. Before World War II, Adolf Hitler won an election and as a result many individuals die, and as Bernie Sanders proclaimed “ So what I learned as a little kid is that politics is, in fact, very important.”

The twentieth century brought about much change for the United States of America, both economic and social. After World War I, the Great Depression wreaked havoc on Americans nationwide, and they turned to the government for help. It was through policies like President Roosevelt’s New Deal that set the United States on the path towards recovery, through major economic reforms and the creation of programs to create jobs. These programs built American infrastructure such as dams, bridges and roads, even though the means for passing these laws was anything but traditional. After World War II, the people were mobilized to start to call for equality. Women came together in search of equal rights, with their male counterparts in the workplace, and the African American population came together simply so they may be treated as fellow Americans. This paper will show that the common thread among the mobilization each decade of the twentieth century is the population’s discontent with the way things are, and a desire for those things to change.

Citizens participation has and it will always will be important, But nowadays the concepts of citizens participation is so over look not many people tend to vote. The United states based it’s democracy on their very own citizens, the very same principles like Greece, Athens. On the other side of the country in Italy Rome overthrew their Monarchy and developed the first representative democracy and this is where the United States get their core policies. A Representative Democracy is when the people still have the power they just vote for someone to represent their belief and values. We also give them the control of the decision making. Something like we do today when we have Election. First off Voting is a very important it makes up a good

There are two different types of responsibilities good citizens have: civic duties and civic responsibilities. They have some similarities, but they are not the

In a democratic government, citizen participation is essential and beneficial in order to ensure everyone’s opinions will be heard and represented. With a wide range of morals, socioeconomic statuses, personalities, and knowledge existing among the American population, citizens’ participation in the democratic system range from dedicated, involved, and uninvolved. The upbringing and life situation of individuals directly affects their governmental decisions including their stances on issues the country faces. Citizens can also make the decision to not contribute to the democratic process. Either way, the engagement or disengagement of citizens is considered an individual choice, and both decisions affect the way in which the government is run.