GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENSHIP

Civics VocabCIVICS: Study of citizenship and government.CITIZEN: Member of a community with government and laws.GOVERNMENT: The power that rules a country.

Purpose of GovernmentGovernments make laws, provide services, and keep order. (Legislative)Not only do governments make laws, they also enforce them. (Executive)Courts are established to decide truth in certain cases. (Judicial)

Marker TalkWhat services does the government provide?

What would our country be like without government? (This term is called ANARCHY.)Classroom Talk

American GovernmentGovernment is put in place by the people to serve the people.Where is this quote from?

DemocracyDirect democracy: Citizens have the power to rule and make laws. It was established in Athens, Greece.Representative democracy: Citizens elect representatives to make laws. This is also known as a republic.

Good CitizensWhat are behaviors that good citizens do?Think about it by yourself and jot down a few ideas on a piece of paperPair up and talk about your ideas. Make sure to explain why you wrote what you did.Share with the class you and your partners ideas.

Duties vs. Responsibilities

CitizensAnyone born in US boundaries is a US citizen.If both parents are US citizens, their children are US citizens.Dual citizenship: Citizen of two countries. This occurs when a child is born outside US boundaries and has only one parent that is a US citizen.

AliensALIEN: Person from another country who is not a US citizen.Four main types:LegalIllegalImmigrantsRefugees

Legal aliensLives are similar to US citizens.Must obey US laws and pay taxes.Can not vote in elections or run for office.They can not work most government jobs.Some eventually become US citizens.Usually traveling with a VISA or passport

Illegal aliensPeople in the country without permission from the US government.Can not legally hold a job in the United States.If they are found, they will be deported, sent back to their country. The Immigration and Naturalization Service investigates cases.

Immigrants and RefugeesIMMIGRANT: An alien with the intention of staying in the country permanently without becoming a US citizen. Must carry a green cardQUOTA: a number limitREFUGEE: An alien fleeing their country due to war, natural disaster, etc.

NATURALIZATIONProcess where an alien becomes a US citizen.Long, difficult processEntire process is done in EnglishAll children of the naturalized citizen under 18 get automatic status as citizens.

Sample Naturalization QuestionsGet out a new piece of paper:This sample list has two main purposesYou can see that naturalized citizens often know more about our country that native born citizensAll of the questions on the list will be studied in future units in this course