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Citizen Participation in a Democracy

How can you make a difference in a democracy?

Chapter 7

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In the 1960s, many major retailers in the South had segregated lunch counters. In protest, people organized sit-ins to force the companies to change their policies.

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In this photograph, college students hold a sit-in at a Walgreens lunch counter.

Sometimes protesters were taunted and even attacked by onlookers. Walgreens, and other retailers, chose to close their lunch counters rather than to serve the students.

Wayne, Use full OT 7A, as in slide 3.

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John R. Salter (also known as Hunter Bear), a prominent civil rights activist and a university professor in Mississippi, described a Woolworths lunch counter sit-in, in which he participated in Jackson, Mississippi, as “the most violently attacked sit-in during the 1960s . . . A huge mob gathered, with open police support while the three of us sat there for three hours. I was attacked with fists, brass knuckles and the broken portions of glass sugar containers, and was burned with cigarettes.”

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As a result of the sit-ins, cafes and lunch counters eventually ended their segregation policies.

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Do you think you could carry out actions like these for a cause you believe in? Why or why not?

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Preview

You have just seen one example of a form of civic participation that helped draw attention to a societal problem in the 1960s: the lack of civil rights for African American citizens.

In this chapter, you will learn more about the process of becoming a U.S. citizen and closely examine the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

You will look at how Americans have effectively used civic participation to address problems facing their communities, their country, and the world.

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Preview

Throughout the chapter, you will examine such important questions as,

• What does it take to become a citizen of the United States citizen?

• What does it mean to be a citizen?

• How can ordinary people make a difference in a democratic society like the United States?

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Reading

Read Section 7.1. Page 123-24

Then respond to these questions:

• What does Robert D. Putnam say about how the participation of Americans in civic, social, and religious groups has changed over the past century and a half?

• Do you think this change in behavior is cause for concern? Why or why not?

Rights and Responsibilities

• Read Section 7.2 Page 127 and complete the T-Chart at the bottom of your handout.– List at least three things for each side

• Rights– Bill of Rights

• Freedoms and protections

– Right to vote– Hold office– Social and

economic benefits

• Responsibilities– Obey laws– Pay taxes– Cooperate with

public officials– Stay informed and

participate in public affairs (vote?)

Welcome to the U.S.

• Partner UP! (Max = 2 people)1. On a separate sheet create a flier

informing people how to become American citizens

2. Include all the steps explained on pages 128-29

3. Make it easy to understand and attractive!

American Values• Liberty• Equality• Democracy• Individualism• Free Enterprise

• Justice• Rule of Law• Patriotism• Optimism• Civic Duty

Ideologies

Social Capital

• Defined as, “connections among individuals” that are forged (created) through participation in voluntary associations

• Pros: helps strengthen civil society and promote civic engagement– Getting involved in the community

Civic Engagement

1. Electoral specialists – main engagement through electoral process

2. Civic specialists – focus on improving their communities

3. Dual activists – engage in both electoral and civic activities

4. Disengaged – not involved in civic life; don’t vote or get involved in their communities

This is a Pakistani boy named Iqbal Masih. Iqbal worked for six years in bonded labor for a carpet manufacturer.

After he escaped, he spoke out against bonded labor and argued that children should be sent to school rather than put to work.

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As we listen to his story,mark the different formsof civic participation thatwere used for in “A Schoolfor Iqbal.”

This is Ryan White and his mother. Ryan was a teenager from Indiana who developed AIDS from a blood transfusion he had received as a child. At the time, Ryan faced a lot of discrimination because little was known about AIDS.

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As we listen to his story,mark the different formsof civic participation thatwere used for in “The RyanWhite CARE Act.”

This is a display at a candlelight memorial service for victims of drunk driving, sponsored by the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

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• What actions might people have taken to address the problem of drunk driving?

• What might the results of their actions have been?

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Review the forms of civic participation used in this case study.

• Did the actions these people took make a difference? If so, for whom?

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Using the Forms of Civic Participation Sheet (back side), select two-three forms that would be most effective for eachof the following scenarios

Visual Discovery

A group of concerned citizens wants to implement a recycling policy in their town.

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Visual Discovery

A group of high school students is opposed to what they consider to be an unfair dress code, and they want to make changes to that policy.

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Visual Discovery

An individual is upset by her state’s high taxes and wants to see a change in the state tax rates.

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A group of citizens believes that the labor practices of a nationwide retailer are unfair and wants to call attention to them in order to force the company to change its policies.

Visual Discovery

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Visual Discovery

A family feels that their children’s school experience would be greatly enhanced by a morning moment of silence in which students and teachers could silently pray.

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Visual Discovery

An individual wants to recruit others to help the victims of ethnic genocide in another country.

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Think about the problems facing your community, your country, or the world.

Then choose one issue or problem that you feel strongly about.

Write a paragraph explaining why this is a problem. Back up your argument with at least one or two facts.

Write a second paragraph that has a plan of action to address the issue. Include in your plan of action at least two of the forms of civic participation you learned about.