NEWRightsResponsibilities7

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A photograph of the "room where it happened"

What are our rights and responsibilities as citizens?

What defines .a good U.S. citizen?
What purpose does the U.S. government serve?
What is the proper role of government in the U.S.?
Who represents me at various branches/levels of government? How do I connect with them?
How are compromise and consensus critical parts of American society?
What is the line between liberty and responsibility?

visit it often Crash course
u.s. gov't and politics

In this unit, students learn about how people organize themselves with governments to preserve and protect rights, including the basic structures of government at different levels. Students learn the responsibilities citizens have to maintain individual rights, and the rights of others. We discuss current issues, make connections to a broader context, and are empowered to take informed action.

"All men are created equal"

I CAN...Identify examples of how principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence and Preamble to the Constitution have been applied throughout United States history, including how they have evolved over time.

That phrase comes from the Declaration of Independence and is considered one of the core beliefs of our nation. Unfortunately, the phrase "all men" didn't include everybody when it was written in 1776....but those words have been echoed throughout the last 240 years by different groups fighting to expand the meaning.

Click here to demonstrate your learning!

Declaration of Independence

Read the actual Declaration!

Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

Read the Constitution!

Seneca Falls, New York: Women's Declaration of Rights & Sentiments

Read the Declaration of Sentiments

Frederick Douglass: "What, to the Slave is the Fourth of July"

Read the Speech

Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address

Read the Address

14th Amendment to the Constitution and the Equal Protection clause

Another source...search for "equal protection" using control-F

Read the Amendment

United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

Read the Declaration

Martin Luther King, Jr: "I Have A Dream" speech

Read the speech

Barack Obama 2013 Inaugural Address

Read the Speech

Donald Trump 2018 MLK Day Dedication

Read his Remarks

"This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.:"
-- (1857) Frederick Douglass, “If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress

What are rights & responsibilities of citizens?

What other rights do you have? What other responsibilities?
Use other sources to help you deepen your understanding

Rights

Freedom to express yourself.
Freedom to worship as you wish.
Right to a prompt, fair trial by jury.
Right to vote in elections for public officials.
Right to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. citizenship.
Right to run for elected office.
Freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 

responsibilities

Support and defend the Constitution.
Stay informed of the issues affecting your community.
Participate in the democratic process.
Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws.
Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others.
Participate in your local community.
Pay income and other taxes honestly, and on time, to federal, state, and local authorities.
Serve on a jury when called upon.
Defend the country if the need should arise.

The Constitution

Watch this Video

Click for the slideshow on the U.S. Constitution

Checks and balances

If the government of the United States is to work for the people, there needs to be a way to make sure that any one person, or group of people, does not become too powerful. To make sure the powers of each of our branches of government is limited, the Constitution includes a system of checks and balances.