1. Basic Concepts of
democracy
Ch.1, sec. 3

2. • “No government demands so
much from the citizen as
Democracy, and none gives back
so much”
• What does democracy demand from you?
• What does it give you in return?

3. 5 Basic concepts of
democracy:
• 1. Every person has worth and dignity
• 2. Equality of all persons
• 3. Majority rule, minority rights
• 4. Compromise
• 5. Individual freedom

4. Worth of individual
• Recognition of worth of every human
• However, the govt. can still make you do things you
don’t want to do in order to serve the interest of the
masses.
• Examples?:

5. Equality of all persons
• “All men are created equal”-
Thomas Jefferson, The
Declaration of
Independence
• Equal opportunity
• Equality before the law
• No person should be held
back because of race, color,
religion, or gender.
• Are we there yet?

7. Majority
rule, minority rights
• The majority is most often right.
• Do you agree with this?
• Impossible to find the “right” answer- instead we
look for a “satisfactory” answer.
• Mistakes can happen- sometimes the majority is
“wrong”
• Majority must listen to the arguments and
suggestions of the minority

8. compromise
• Blending competing or opposite views
• Can be challenging- usually more than just two
sides.

9. Individual freedom
• Freedom, but not
absolute freedom-
that would be
ANARCHY!
• Freedom to do as
you please, as long
as you are not
infringing upon the
rights of others

10. Duties & Responsibilities
• See chart on p. 23
• What is the difference between a duty
and a responsibility?
• Good citizens do both!

11. Assignment:
• Choose one of the
responsibilities of a U.S.
citizen from p.23.
• Create a flyer to
encourage students to
fulfill that responsibility.
• Your flyer should be
creative, neat, and
colorful!
• YAY COLORING!!!