What is the role of the individual in maintaining a healthy democracy?
“A citizen is a participatory member of a political community. Citizenship is gained by meeting the legal requirements of a national, state, or local government” (quoted from Center for the Study of Citizenship, Wayne State University, 2021).
In the United States, citizens and non-citizens have rights and responsibilities in their civic, political, and private lives; that is, they enjoy the freedoms of a democratic society while having responsibilities they are expected to perform including obeying laws, working with elected leaders, engaging in peaceful protest, and affirming the fundamental principles of American political and civic life. Voting is highly valued responsibility for U.S. citizens; noncitizens can vote only in some local elections in 3 states and the District of Columbia (Laws Permitting Noncitizens to Vote in the United States).
U.S. history has numerous examples of individuals who showed political courage and leadership in support of democratic values and freedoms, but it also includes multiple times when individuals and groups failed to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (see Topic 4.11 in this book). In modern society, public and private interest groups, political action committees, and labor unions more than individual citizens play powerful roles in lobbying for social and economic change.
In the video below, Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch discuss the importance of citizenship and voting (Note: The YouTube version of the video does not provide closed captions. For the original video with closed captions, go to the CBS News page).
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