Unit 1: Citizenship

1. Unit #1 Notes

2.  Civics – the study of rights, duties and
responsibilities of citizens of a nation
 Citizen – a member of a state or nation who
believes in the legitimacy of the state,
believes entitled to rights granted by the
state and owes allegiance to the state by
birth, naturalization or socialization.
 Nation or State – a group of people who
share commonalities that organize power
under a government

4.  Economics – the study of choices
 People seek to satisfy their unlimited needs
and wants when resources are limited
 Need – something we need to survive; Ex. Food,
shelter, air
 Want – an item people desire but not essential to
survival; Ex. IPods, clothes, cars
 Scarcity – limited resources (things people use)

6.  Citizens of a state must perform duties, should
perform responsibilities, and should be granted
rights
 Duty – an action required by law from a citizen; Ex.
Jury duty, obeying the law, paying taxes, selective
service duty, compulsory schooling
 Responsibility – an action that a citizen should take; Ex.
Volunteering, voting, staying informed, service in the
military
 Right – a “freedom” granted by the government that
should not be limited by the government but should be
protected by the government and not infringed on by
others

7. 1. Birth
a. By Blood – parents are citizens
b. By Soil – born on the recognized territory of the
nation-state
2. Naturalization
a. Sign a declaration of intention with Citizenship and
Immigration Services (CIS)
b. File an application
c. Interview
d. Pass Citizenship Test
e. Pledges an oath of allegiance
3. Socialization
a. Taught belief system and culture

9.  Out of many, One
 We are a nation state
 A nation of Citizens, Immigrants, Aliens and
Illegal immigrants
 Immigrant – people legally admitted as permanent residents
 Alien – a foreigner non-citizen who has permission (VISA) to be in
the nation
 Illegal immigrant – residing in a nation without permission from
the government

10.  Melting pot – a metaphor used to describe a
culture in which diverse groups of people have
lost their specific original cultures or identities
to a new dominate culture; assimilate
 Tossed Salad – a metaphor used to describe a
culture within a culture where groups of
people maintain their unique identities with
the larger groups identities

12.  Government – the ruling authority of a society
or community
 Government is an institution that possesses
power, structure, organization, values,
legitimacy, processes and provide functions to
its citizens
 According to Enlightenment philosopher,
Thomas Hobbes, “life without government
would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and
short.” – WHY?

13.  Keep Order
 Pass and enforce laws, establish courts
 Provide Services
 Schools, libraries, fire and police, unemployment
insurance
 Provide Security
 Prevent crime, protect citizens from foreign attack
 Guide the Community
 Manage the economy, foreign relations, instill values

14. 1. Greece
 democracy – the power of government rests with the
citizens
2. Rome
 republic – the power of government rests with
representatives who administer the institution
3. Age of Enlightenment
 Philosophers during the 1700s who theorized about
government and its responsibilities to its citizens

15. CRACY = POWER ARCHY = LEAD BY
 A democracy?
 An infantocracy?
 A gerontocracy?
 An argentocracy?
 An aristocracy?
 A foolocracy?
 An albocracy?
 A meritocracy?
 A theocracy?
 An oligarchy?
 An anarchy?
 An aristararchy?
 A monarchy?
 A Corpoarchy?
 A diaboloarchy?
 A kleptoarchy?
 A dictatorship?
 A republic?

20.  Ways People
Volunteer
Donate Time: help mentor school kids
Donate Money: Give money to charities
Donate Food to food banks
Work on Political Campaigns
Why do we need volunteers? The government cannot provide all needed
services as a result, volunteers meet the needs of others that are not met by
government.

22.  No Government

23.  Form of Government where a single person
holds unlimited power

24.  Form of government in which the society is
ruled by religious leaders

25.  Small group controls all decisions

26.  A government lead by a hereditary ruler
 Absolute
 Limited

27.  A political system in which the government
suppresses all opposition and controls most
aspects of people’s lives

28.  A form of government in which the leader has
absolute power and authority, usually taken by
force

29.  Ruling group of elite

30.  A form of government in which the supreme
authority rest with the people
 Direct
 Indirect

31.  A form of government in which the people
elect representatives to run the government

32.  An ideology which calls for the collective, or
state, ownership of all productive properties

33.  The United States is a Democratic Republic or a
Representative Democracy