Let’s Brainstorm What do you think are some of the rights and duties of citizens?

Citizens Most people are considered citizens as long as they live in that country They are community members who owe loyalty to the government and are entitled to protection from it. They agree to follow a set of rules and to accept the governments authority. Give me an example of a rule of the government

Making Current Connections Let’s look at the back of any US Coin! On the back you’ll see the slogan “E Pluribus Unum” This means “out of many, one”. This reminds us that the many diverse citizens of the US have joined together to make a single, strong nation. Do you agree??????

America: A Nation of Immigrants More than 300 million people live in the US today It is believed that the first Native Americans arrive here thousands of years ago crossing over a “land bridge” that once connected Asia and North America Until the 1900s most immigrants were from Europe -First Europeans were from Spain in the 1500s

Immigration Beginning in the 1600’s people from France and England came to North America. -French settled in Canada and around the Mississippi River -English settled on the east coast, creating the 13 colonies After America gained its Independence it became known as the land of promise in Europe. -Number of immigrants grew from 600,000 to 2 million+ 22 million immigrants came to the US between 1890 and Most of these were from Southern/Eastern Europe Where are most of today’s immigrants coming from??

Did everyone coming willingly?? NO!!! Western and Central Africans were taken by force from their homes and sold into slavery Between 1619 and 1808 some 500,000 slaves were brought into the US

A Diverse Population Put the term ethnic into your own words Many Americans today do not identify themselves as members of a single ethnic group Religious diversity is major in the US million people practice some form of Christianity -Every other religion, or lack of religion, are just as accepted here. Many people have brought their “old country” traditions with them, making it a part of the American culture

Tell Me About Yourself On a separate piece of paper tell me how you identify and/or describe yourself.

Path to Citizenship There are two ways to become a citizen 1. By birth 2. Naturalization Birth-born in a US State or Territory or if both parents are citizens Naturalization is a legal process for foreign born people who choose to become citizens

Create a poster displaying the process of naturalization

Naturalization Process An alien is anyone that is not a citizen. Aliens who want to become a US citizen must sign a Declaration of Intention that’s filed with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. An alien must live here 5 years before (Aliens married to US citizens must wait 3) Aliens must then have an interview with a USCIS official and take an citizenship exam Final step is attending a ceremony and pledging an oath of allegiance. Strange Fact: Not until 1924 did Congress make all Native Americans citizens of the US

Lifelong Privilege Most Americans keep their citizenship forever Only the federal government can take citizenship way -Denaturalization: Loss of citizenship through fraud or deception -Expatriation: Giving up one’s citizenship -Punishment for a crime: Crime of disloyalty

Aliens in America The US only allows 675,000 aliens in a year Aliens with relatives in the country are given first priority Immigration Act of 1990-welcome people with money, skills, or talents 12 million aliens are living in the US illegally They can be deported(sent back to original country) if caught Resident Aliens can stay as long as they want without becoming citizens

Duties of Citizens We all play a part in making our communities safe and successful As members of a community we have certain duties and responsibilities we have to follow 1) Obey laws 2) Pay taxes 3) Defend the nation 4) Serve in court 5) Attend School

Civic Responsibilitie s Be informed Speak up and Vote Respect others’ rights Contribute to the common good Rights Security-protection by government Equality-equal treatment under the law Liberty-rights guaranteed under the Constitution Duties Obey the law Pay taxes Defend the nation Serve in court Attend school Responsibilities Be informed and vote Participate in your community and government Respect the rights and property of others Respect different opinions and ways of life

Let’s Review What are three duties of US citizens? What are two responsibilities of US citizens?

Critical Thinking In paragraph form: “What do you think would happen if the legal duties of citizens became voluntary?”

Where Your Tax Dollars Go

Where Your Tax Dollars Come From 45.4 % INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAXES 11.5% CORPORATE INCOME TAXES 3.8% OTHER TAXES 39.3% SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES, OTHER RETIREMENT, INSURANCE

Citizen Involvement Each year more than half of all Americans do volunteer work -Volunteer time -Volunteer hard work -Volunteer money

Volunteers in Action Responsible citizens are concerned about the welfare of the community as a whole What’s welfare? Community Involvement-ex. Neighborhood Watch Charitable Organizations-ex. Domestic violence homes School Based Programs-ex. Volunteer in order to graduate National Service Programs-ex. Peace Corps Voluntary Spirit-AmeriCorps

Graphic Organizers On the back of your notes page please create a graphic organizer based depicting (showing) the channels through which an individual can volunteer. Please give at least one example of each.