Duties and Responsibilities of Citizens

Duties and Responsibilities: What’s the difference?

• Each of us belongs to many communities. As community members, we have responsibilities— things we should do or obligations that we fulfill voluntarily.

• We also have duties— things we are required to do. We must fulfill duties required by national, state, and local governments or face fines or imprisonment.

A Citizen’s Legal Duties

• Obey the law. • Laws serve specific purposes, such as to help

people get along, prevent accidents, and see that resources are used fairly.

• Pay taxes. • Government uses tax money to pay police,

pave roads, maintain armed forces, and other activities.

• Defend the nation, if called. • All men aged 18–25 must register with the

government in case the country needs to draft, or call up men for military service.

• Serve in court, if called. • Every adult citizen must be prepared to serve on

a jury or as a witness at a trial if called to do so.

• Attend school. • Most states require young people to attend school

until age 16.• Heads Together

Civic Responsibilities

• Be informed. • Know what the government is doing so that you

can voice your opinion. Learn about issues and leaders and know your rights.

• Speak up and vote. • Government exists to serve you, but you must

make your concerns known. Call, write, or send e-mail to your representatives, join a political party, and VOTE!

• Study candidates and issues before marking your ballot. • If the performance of an elected leader falls short,

vote for someone else in the next election.

• Respect others’ rights. • Respect public property and the property of others.

• Respect diversity. • Although you may disagree with people or

disapprove of their lifestyles, they have an equal right to their beliefs and practices.

• Tolerance means respecting and accepting others, regardless of their beliefs, practices, or differences. Diversity is a strength.

• Contribute to the common good. • Contribute time, effort, and money to help others

and to improve community life.

The Need for Citizens’ Involvement

• Americans do volunteer work to help make their communities better places to live. Many volunteers are students in grades 6 through 12.

• Governments provide for many needs, but their resources are limited. Also, they are bureaucracies— complex systems with many departments, rules, and people in the chain of command. Thus, governments cannot respond quickly to social problems.

• Good citizens are concerned about the welfare— the health, prosperity, and happiness— of all members of the community.

• Volunteerism is the practice of offering your time and services to others without payment. Many Americans also contribute money to charity.

• Many companies also believe in giving something back to the community. They may sponsor a recreational sports team, donate prizes for charity fund-raisers, or offer college scholarships to students.

Volunteers in Action

• People are more likely to participate when they feel a personal connection to a cause or know others involved.

• More than half the country’s schools arrange community service for students in grades 6 through 12. Many require it.

Federal Government Volunteer Programs

• Peace Corps • help people in the poorest corners of the world.

• AmeriCorps• serve within the U.S. performing jobs such as helping

disaster victims, cleaning up polluted rivers, or assisting people with disabilities

• receive a living allowance and money to help pay for college

• Senior Corps• Americans aged 55 and older can take part in three

main programs: • Foster Grandparents for children with special needs• Senior Companions for other seniors• Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (Meals on Wheels, etc)

The Benefits of Volunteering

• By banding together to serve the community, we really serve ourselves.

• Benefits of volunteering: • We make our communities better places to

live for all of us.• We gain opportunities to learn, make

friends, and improve skills. • We gain the satisfaction of knowing that

we made a difference in someone else’s life.