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CITIZENSHIP AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION. The American Gladiators —a once real-time television show!. BELL-RINGER. What are the characteristics of a good citizen? Create a bullet list of 3-5 items.
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CITIZENSHIP AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION The American Gladiators—a once real-time television show!
BELL-RINGER • What are the characteristics of a good citizen? Create a bullet list of 3-5 items.
Long time political correspondent Tom Brokaw once referred to the Americans of the World War II era as the “greatest generation” due to their sacrifice and commitment during that turbulent era. • Though there is the perception that Americans of today are self-centered, there are numerous examples of people from all walks of life who have answered the “call to arms” to contribute to the betterment of the country. • When you say that you are an American citizen, what does that mean to you? • Legally speaking, it means that someone falls under a constitutional or statutory category giving them full membership in the American system of government. • Beyond the legal definition, being an American citizen and the ideas that have gone into what it means to be a citizen have certainly evolved over 230 years.
Above is one of the most iconic images of the World War II era and the “Greatest Generation.” A returning sailor greets a nurse in Times Square in celebration of the Japanese surrender in August of 1945.
Those who fought for independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution and who later established our current system of government had their own views of what it meant to be an American citizen. • Those individuals did not think people could truly be free or have dignity unless they could participate actively in the political decisions that directly impacted peoples’ everyday lives. • Citizenship to them also meant abandoning individual interests to promote the common good. • As our country started to grow and become more diverse with new immigrants during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, people started to reassess this definition/conception. • Increasingly, citizenship came to be regarded as those who belonged with northern European ancestry, Christian beliefs, the white race, and male leadership. • You have probably seen these same kinds of tensions present in our country today. Any examples?
Archibald Willard’s famous painting The Spirit of ‘76 was one of the most iconic depicting the American Revolution. To this day it still creates a strong impression of American patriotism.
In this 1903 cartoon from Judge, artist F. Victor Gillam asks an essential question: Is the immigrant an acquisition or a detriment? During this time period, much debate surrounded that question. New immigrants challenged the very notion of what it meant to be an American citizen. Those ideas are still present in our country today.
Beyond the debate over what it means to be an American citizen, comes the question of what duties and responsibilities do we have as citizens? • We are required to do certain things: pay taxes, serve in juries, serve in the military (technically), obey the laws of the land, etc. • So, what does it mean to be an “active citizen”? • It means taking part in the life of the community, not because you have some obligation to do so, but because you care about the health of the society in which you live and share a responsibility for its future with every other citizen. • Active citizenship goes beyond volunteerism; it also means examining the root causes of problems in our society and considering the entire range of actions you can take as a citizen to help you eliminate those causes.
“Halftime in America” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PE5V4Uzobc
