When I think of America I think of freedom and citizenship. The right to vote or the right of free speech are aspects that, as citizens, we posses. Being born in America automatically gives you these rights and many more, and most importantly, you become a citizen. Now, with citizenship comes responsibility such as obeying the law and paying taxes. So if you follow these simple rules does this make you an effective citizen? This question, in my opinion, is almost impossible to answer for a number of reasons, which will be addressed in the following paper. It was extremely hard to come up with a clear cut answer as to what an effective citizen entails. I grappled with this term through many drafts and in
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In their mind, if they were in a state of nature then they would not have to abide by such laws. As John Locke pointed out, we all are here for the preservation of mankind. We make these sacrifices for protection and, in the end, not only benefit the individual but also benefit the community, society, or nation. (Locke, pgs. 170-171, 180-186). So each citizen, in order to (in Abraham Lincoln’s word’s) form a more perfect union, must make certain sacrifices which in the end, not only helps you but helps others, this is one of our responsibilities as citizens. Finally, in regards to this paragraph, someone who DOES fulfill his or her responsibilities, are good citizens, but that is not the whole definition of a good citizen, it is simply one part of a bigger picture.
The question can now be raised, if one follows and fulfills these responsibilities does that really make them a good citizen? If a person follows the laws and pays his or her taxes, does that make them a good or effective citizen? In my opinion, it all depends upon the person defining the term effective citizenship. Each person has different beliefs and or values and these effect there
definition on effective citizenship. One person might believe that to be a good citizen all one has to do is obey all of the “big laws”, i.e. murder and stealing, and pay their taxes, this makes them a good citizen. Another side that one might take is that a good citizen has to follow all laws including social laws like
You treat everyone the same way you want to be treated. plain and simple. What is citizenship? I ask myself. So I learned that citizenship is members of the state or nation coming together as one and making society work together.
Citizenship will always be a relevant concept because when you are a citizen of a particular country it comes with a sense of belonging. There is a feeling of pride when you become a citizen of a country. In particular, if your family is from that country it can help to gain a sense of community with those around you. It is important for people to feel that they are citizens of the same country as their children. Sometimes legal citizenship changes a person’s perspective and they feel that they belong but often there is still a chance people may be excluded based on external factors, for example, they have a different religion to the majority of a particular community. That’s why it is important for people to be social citizens as well so that they can
One thing that some people believe to be a positive factor in illegal immigration is, illegal immigrants that come to America and begin working and pay taxes but do not use any other benefits that tax payers in America use. According to Nofziger (2010), “While undocumented workers have extreme difficulty accessing services, they still
Citizenship is the legal status of an individual living within a particular country. Having citizenship gives people rights and responsibilities as well as a sense of belonging to a community. Citizenship can influence the lives of people as it gives people a sense of identity and how to live their life.
As Americans citizen we enjoy our rights and freedoms as a society. We enjoy our freedom of speech and our right to choose where to live. With all those freedoms also these rights comes with a legal obligation to uphold and to follow the law of our country. Also there are many American citizens moral obligated to exercise their rights but many times of the case Americans citizens are not forces to legally oblige to follow the law. A good example an American citizen has the right to bear arms but also an American citizen also has the right not to own a weapon. It is really important as an American citizen that we understand the pros and cons of voting.
Citizenship is when a person is accepted as a member of a society due to customs or laws. Another way to think about citizenship is that one does not truly become a member of a society until said person has managed to learn and master the tools and trades that allow the society and its members to go on with their everyday lives.
“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.” Without the right that the Constitution brings us, we wouldn’t have rights therefore the United States wouldn’t be a good place to live in. The Constitution brings us the right of freedom of speech (first amendment) , the right to bear arms (second amendment), and the right to protect against unreasonable government actions such as search and seizure of person property (fourth amendment). Being an American citizen means that you have rights that they would like you to fulfil. As an American citizen is it voluntary to vote, but others are required such as obeying the law and paying taxes. The Magna Carta, John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, and the Petition of Rights explains the rights and the responsibilities of an American citizen.
Citizenship is defined as a being a citizen or a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state. Citizen preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people. The concept of which in one of its earliest was given to us by the Romans, who had just began to understand the importance of a populace contributing to the decisions of its own fate. Modern American citizenship as we know it today was defined for us in the constitution of this nation by the founding fathers. Citizenship as they had envisioned it even back then was not free, but came with a price. A citizen was
Are you a citizen? Maybe you are. Maybe you aren’t. A citizen is a legally recognized subject. Citizenship is a status given by the government. Rome and Athens had very different systems of citizenship. But which system, Athens’ or Rome’s, was better? Some say it was Rome.
Next, human rights are equally as important when you think of a citizen. Rights are one of the biggest parts of our country; some argue that they are what run our country. As Americans we have
Showing respect for our surroundings is another way of being a good citizen. Cleaning our surroundings and not littering around the area is one way to show our respect for our surroundings. If we see garbage lying around the area we should immediately pick it up and throw in the proper waste container because it shows how we like the place that we live in to be clean. Being respectful towards our government also shows what good citizenship is. Not talking bad about our government and supporting our government on their decisions is one way to show that we are living a in a good community that respects our countries government. In closing living a lifestyle that benefits me and my community is what citizenship means to me.
Being an engaged citizen has had a huge impact on developing civilizations over the years because of the influence large groups of people have. Arguably the most important parts of being the ideal engaged citizen are education, ethics, and being an active part within the community. There are other traits as well but none that are as key as these three. Two famous documents that express these ideas are the Analects of Confucius and the Seneca Falls Declaration.
“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely.” This quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt supports the idea that citizenship is not based on the judgment of the government, but on the education of the citizens. The government that exists today took a lot of compromises and hard work. Some compromises include the Great Compromise, Native American Reservations, the Bill of Rights, and the Civil rights amendments. Conflict and compromise define what it means to be a citizen by bettering your community , using your rights responsibly, and participating in the local and state government. Some evidence includes Civic Duty, Gun violence, and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.
I think of some things to be a better citizen would be 1) Volunteer to be active in your community. This means help people and for examples school district donate many things and this would make you a better citizen. 2) Be honest and trustworthy. This is a hard one because some people have a hard time being trustworthy but if you are trustworthy you will make it a long ways and life and people can always look up to you as a person. 3) Follow rules and law. There is always laws and rules and sometimes you break those rules you need to look in that mirror at the end of the day and say is this the person I am and am I making the right choices to make sure everybody is
Being an active citizen is something that everyone in the United States is required to be, yet not everyone actually is one. Many people may believe that just voting is enough to be a good citizen, but voting is actually the least of their duties. Citizens have a set of rights and responsibilities, including the right to participate in decisions that affect public welfare. Being an active citizen means that people get involved in their local communities and democracy at all levels, from their town to nationwide activity. This can be volunteering to clean up the park or street, or educating students on democratic values, skills and participation. Active citizenship is a mixture of knowledge, attitude, skills and actions that aim to contribute to building and preserving a democratic society. When citizens speak up about problems in their communities, public officials take notice and may take action to answer their concerns, which empowers the citizens of the community.