Citizenship education Essay

The purpose of citizenship education is to contribute to the surfaceness of our body politic1 and to em come through students to translate their beliefs into actions and their ideas into policies. The primary goal of the De policeargon Civics Standards is student get winding of the purpose and representation of authority2 and put outdom3 and the relationship mingled with them. Civics directly addresses citizenship education within the context of policy-making systems. Students study the assumptions upon which presidential terms be founded, and the organizations and strategies political sympathiess employ to achieve their goals. With particular(prenominal) respect to the coupled States, students attain the to a lower placelying article of faiths of representative re overt, the perfect separation of powers, and the rule of law. They need to grind that an immanent premise of representative democracy is the pass oningness of citizens to place a high premium on their stimulate personal responsibility for interlocking in social decision-making.see more go out the context of financial support skills for everyday lifeStudents develop the skills which citizens must possess in order to discharge those responsibilities composition defend their recompenses and the rights of an otherwise(prenominal)s. The study of civics prep ars students to translate their beliefs into actions and their ideas into policies. Governments exist and are instituted for special purposes and employ a variety of organizational structures to succeed their objectives. Constitutional democracy attempts to balance feature-by-item renouncedom with the unavoidably of the society as a whole. Ameri drive out citizens need a raw material reading of the structure of dissimilar forms of presidential term and a detailed experience of a shapingal democracy. Students pull up stakes learn the underlying principles of representative democracy,4 the constitutional separati on of powers,5 and the rule of law,6 with peculiar(prenominal) respect to the United States.The American political system was purposely created to rest on a hind end of person liberty, freedom of religion, representative democracy, equal opportunity, and equal security system under the law. These principles and ideals are codified in the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other significant documents. Understanding, achieving, and up curbing these principles and ideals represent a major ch every(prenominal)enge to each win generation of Americancitizens. Students will develop the skills which citizens must possess in order to accept their responsibilities while protect their rights and the rights of others. The political, religious, and frugal freedoms provided to American citizens are accompanied by the responsibility of active civic participation at the individual, community, put forward, and national levels.Effective citizens need to study the dedication a nd commitment inevitable to safeguard those rights for themselves and upcoming generations as well as the authorization consequences of inaction. They should to a fault be able to distinguish mingled with rights and privileges. Students will learn to translate their beliefs into actions and their ideas into policies. The intent to participate in the American political system must be matched with the specific skills necessary to be effective. Such skills take on, but are not special to, registering to voting, interacting successfully with disposal agencies, organizing and working in civic chemical groups, researching and advocating a position, or serving in an office of public trust. The Delaware Civics Standards vociferate for reason the purposes,7 principles,8 and generalizations9 that infuse the images in the standards with their contextual heart. CIVICS STANDARD ONE Students will picture the structure and purposes of governments with specific idiom on constitutiona l democracy Government.Enduring UnderstandingsStudents will understand thatConstitutional democracy10 as a structure of government developed from the tension amongst the need for authority and the need to constrain authority. Governments are structured to address the basic need of the people in a society. The key to understanding the purposes, principles, and generalizations called for in the standards is to begin with the question wherefore? For example, Standard One says, Students will examine the structure and purposes of governments with specific fierceness on constitutional democracy. The purposes of governments, of course, are the wherefore of governments. Beginning with the question, wherefore do we start out government? yields the question, What needs does government address? The reception to this question is the foundational understanding for the bench marks of the standard. The structure of governments is determined in part by history and custom, but to the highes t degreely they grow from what reason and experience check taughtsocieties near the organizational requirements for achieving the purposes of government.11 You can derive the basic purposes of government by imagining a community and questioning what needs of a community baron require authority to address. In fact, most famous political philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, for example) have utilise the device of the imaginary community to explain their version of the purposes of the state in terms so childly that scour grade school students can easily understand them. All governments invariably address essentially the same needs security, order, and the welfare of the usualwealth. They all submit, go for, and adjudicate law to meet the need for order, organize the common defense, and provide services to promote the welfare of the citizens. The structures of governments reflect the slipway governments are organized to perform these functions. The basic p urposes and principles of governmentincluding the responsibilities of citizenship12 in a general sensecan be illuminated with the experiences of the students.Families meet needs of security, order, and welfare with the principle of authority, as do schools and communities. The themes of authority, obedience, responsibilityand the very important constraints on authority for the tax shelter and freedom of the ruledare found in the social context of every student. If students can learn how to see the purposes, principles, and generalizations suggested by the standard in their own experiences, they become easier to understand and retain and more relevant. The emphasis on constitutional democracy called for in the standard reflects the enduring human struggle to find a way to protect ourselves from our protectors. The tension between the need for authority and the need to constrain authority is a prominent theme of history and is an inherent condition of life.The historically remarkable rise and spread of constitutional democracy evolved from both the villainy of authority13 and a rekindled belief in the desirability of individual freedom14. The embedded concepts of a higher law15 that constrains the makers and enforcers of law (constitutions), accountability of rulers (democratic processes), and civil rights16 arose from an abundantly justified distrust of power and a ripening consensus that superstar of the purposes of the state is the protection and promotion of the freedom of its citizens. New structures of government were devised to better fulfill and in force(p) this new purpose of government. The need forauthority and the need to constrain it is the foundational understanding called for by Civics Standard One. The structures of novel governments developed from the experiences of people trying to meet these twin needs. Civics Standard One 6-8a Students will understand that governments have the power to make and enforce laws and regulations, levy taxes, conduct foreign policy, and make war.Essential Questionwhy does a government have certain powers?The focus here is on understanding the need for these powers (the why?) and having a general knowledge of what these specific powers entail. The need for order and security within is intercommunicate through with(predicate) the power to make and enforce laws and regulations. The need to promote national interests abroad, curiously security and economic interests, is turn to by the power to conduct foreign policy. The power to make war arises primarily from the need for security. The power to levy taxes arises from the need to pay for it all. unrestricted questions that teachers might ask in a classroom imply1. wherefore does the government enforce their laws with police rather than allow people to be free?2. wherefore does the government take taxes out of our paychecks?3. wherefore does the government participate in wars?4. Who gave the U.S. government the power to enforce laws? Why?5. What does it mean that governments have powers?Civics Standard One 6-8b Students will analyze the different functions of federal official, state, and local governments in the United States and examine the reasons for the different organizational structures each level of government employs.Essential QuestionWhat different needs should be addressed by the different levels of government? The student should understand the general concept of federalism17 a territorial division of power based on the overall sovereignty of the national government with constitutionally guaranteed powers for state governments within the boundaries of their respective states. In theory, this division of power is clearly delineated and distinguishable. In reality, however, the flow of power has shifted overtime between the federal and state governments and has resulted in alternating periods of cooperation, conflict, and broil throughout the course of American history. More than 200 years after the s igning of the Constitution, Americans continue to resist virtually the proper role for these levels of government.Then the student should understand the United States has adopted a federal system for a variety of reasons including our negative experiences with unitary18 (as British colonies) and confederal19 systems (under the Articles of Confederation), the distrust of centralized power, the coition sensitivity of state or local governments to the particular needs and views of their citizens, and the relative efficiency of state or local governments in responding to these needs and views. Advantages to federalism complicate allowing a variety of local governments to deal with local problems while allowing local pick outrs to hold local officials accountable, permitting more points of access and greater opportunities for political participation, better protections for individual rights, and fewer constraints on innovation.The bench mark also explicitly calls for knowledge of t he reasons for the different structures of government at each level, which essentially arise from the differences in needs addressed. Generally stated, the functions of the national government include national defense, monetary policy, and foreign representation. Infrastructure, protection from crime, welfare, education, and other practical needs are more clearly the responsibility of state governments. Sewage, garbage, culture, urban development, and traffic attend are usually the tasks of local government. Open-ended questions that teachers might ask in a classroom include 1. What functions does the federal government have that state governments do not have? Why is there a difference? 2. Why might the different functions of federal, state, and local governments require them to have different organizational structures? 3. Why do states usually leave garbage collection and parking laws up to towns and cities in the state? 4. Why do most cities in America have their own police force ? CIVICS STANDARD twain Students will understand the principles and ideals underlying the American political system Politics.Enduring UnderstandingStudents will understand thatThe principles and ideals underlying American democracy are designed topromote the freedom of the American people. Fundamental ideals are enumerated in the introduction to this standardindividual liberty, freedom of religion, representative democracy, equal opportunity, and equal protection under the law. This is not a complete list of the main ideals of American democracy, but they are umbrella concepts. For example, the principles of limited government and civil rights are way of life to achieve individual liberty. As with the previous standard, understanding requires effects to the question, Why? Yet the standard calls for a more developed understanding of the meaning and issues involved with liberty and equality.An essential question for this standard as a whole might be, Why should people be free? Fund amental assumptions about the value and competence of human beings and the importance of freedom to human purpose be these ideals. These ideals also have a dark side and involve serious tradeoffs and costs. This deeper understanding of American ideals belongs to the free minds of a free people and is required by Civics Standard Two. Civics Standard Two 6-8a Students will understand that the concept of majority rule does not mean that the rights of minorities may be disregarded and will examine and apply the protections accorded those minorities in the American political system.Essential QuestionsHow might the majority threaten individual and nonage rights? Why are citizens protected by the Constitution?Should individual rights be limited?Students should understand that democracy means rule by the people, and that majority votes are just an arbitrary indicator of what the people want. Although that principle is central to the American political system, it is not absolute. People, including large numbers of them (i.e., majorities), sometimes act out of anger, prejudice, or ignorance and are not always well informed. By limiting the principle of majority rule, Americans have seek to balance the interests of individuals with the common good20. Majority rule places a very important constraint on political authority, but it is completely insufficient to protect individual liberty. Every student destined to become an American citizen should understand that the majority can be as much of a tyrant as any dictator. They should understand that the addition of the Bill of Rights21 to the U.S.Constitution wasmotivated by the recognition that citizens need protection from abuse of governmental authority, take down when the government is theoretically obedient to the will of the majority of the citizens. There are more instances in American history where minority groups once did not receive the same protections as the majority. The benchmark is somewhat misleading in speaking of the rights of minorities, because minorities are not now accorded any more or little rights than members of a majority. What we now call the rights of minorities is founded on individual rights. The Constitution does not specify group rights. So understanding this benchmark really comes down to understanding the meaning and purpose of the Bill of Rights with the mentality that students should also appreciate how these rights protect minorities from discrimination.There are many examples of how minorities were served by political documents and rulings that protected individuals from discrimination. Open-ended questions that teachers might ask in a classroom include 1. If most people follow one religion, why shouldnt the government pass a law that restricts the rights of people with other religious beliefs? 2. If most Americans are offended by people who protest a war, why not allow the government to declare protestors unpatriotic and put them all in jail? 3. Why might Americans be uneffective to prevent newspapers or websites from printing letters that insult other people? 4. What is meant by the tyranny of the majority and why should we fear it? 5. How are minorities protected by individual rights?Civics Standard Two 6-8b Students will understand the principles and content of major American state papers such as the Declaration of Independence United States Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) and the Federalist Papers.Essential QuestionsHow are the principles of major American state papers guaranteeing liberty to contemporaneous Americans? It would be a bit much to insist on an understanding of the whole content of these papers, especially the Federalist Papers22, but students can well achieve an understanding of the main principles reflected in these documents. The overriding principle is individual liberty most of the other principles concern the means to achieve liberty. The principles of the major state papers are the principles an d ideals ofAmerican democracy. The introduction to Civics Standards Two draws specific attention to the fact that the American political system was intentionally created to rest on a foundation of individual liberty, freedom of religion, representative democracy, equal opportunity, and equal protection under the law.Political equality, rights, limited government23, checks and balances, and other principles of American government are pronounced, asserted, and discussed in the state papers. The understanding of the principles called for by this benchmark is the understanding reflected in these papers, which requires some perspective on the times in which they were written. An compend of what the authors really meant in their assertion of a principle and why they asserted them could help students achieve this benchmark. For example, what did all men are created equal mean at the time of the Declaration of Independence? To truly understand a principle, one must be able to identify its practical applications.Such understanding is addressed more directly in Standard Three, but the focus there is on the Bill of Rights. Students should be able to identify the practical applications of the principles not included in the Bill of Rights. While these principles are sometimes in conflict and while disparities have always existed between the realities of daily life and the ideals of American democracy, the preservation and improvement of American constitutional democracy depends largely on the efforts of each succeeding generation to get up to these principles and narrow the disparities. Open-ended questions that teachers might ask in a classroom include1. What is the meaning of We the People?2. Why is the claim that all men are created equal important to American democracy? How has the meaning of the phrase changed over time?3. Why was there a debate about whether we should have a strong federal government or not? Should the debate continue?4. What was the purpose of ame nding the constitution with the first ten amendments called the Bill of Rights? 5. What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers?6. Why did the signers of the Declaration of Independence think they had the right to declare independence from Great Britain? Here is a released item from the Social Studies DSTP that illustrates the assessment of thisbenchmark. This test item focuses on the inalienable rights stated in the Declaration of Independence and how the Constitution of the United States discoverd those rights. The student should provide shew to support the answer. The item is open ended, which means that there is more than one way to answer this question correctly.The following is an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends (life, liberty, and the pastime of happiness), it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it How did the writers of the U.S. Constitution ensure that the government would not distress the rights stated in the Declaration of Independence? Support your answer with evidence. A student should provide an answer that gives a valid explanation of how the writers of the U.S. Constitution ensured that the government would not damage the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A student should also include evidence to support the explanation. See the DSTP webpage for more items and sample, annotated student responses. http//www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/social_studies/Social_Studies_item_samplers.shtml CIVICS STANDARD leash Students will understand the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of United States citizens Citizenship.Enduring UnderstandingsStudents will understand thatEffective citizens are committed to protecting rights for themselves, other citizens, and future generations, by upholding their civic responsibilities and are aware of the potential consequences of inaction. Distinctions between a citizens rights, responsibilit ies, and privileges help to define the requirements and limits of personal freedom. Once again, the why of responsibilities and rights, and the distinction between rights and privileges is central to understanding the standard. American citizens have the right to certain individual freedoms and liberties found in the U.S. Constitution. further, individual freedoms and liberties have limits imposed by the fact that others also have the same freedoms and liberties. Respect for the rights of others, for example, limits some individual actions.Suppose two dwells are in dispute over a tree growing on ones lawn that extends touch over the others lawn. The man who does not want the shade cannot cutdown his neighbors tree, only that part of the tree that hangs over his shoes. His seat rights end at the bounds of his topographic point, and the boundary between the two neighbors extends to other rights as well. American democracy imposes a cost on its citizens. For government to be eff ective, it must have an effective citizenry that understands what is required to maintain individual freedoms and liberties. Citizens have responsibilities that, if met, ensure the health of American democracy. Citizens should hold governmental officials accountable byVoting and keeping informed change to the common defense through military service if necessary Checking the judicial powers of government and safeguarding the rights of the accused by serving on juries Contributing to public safety and order by obeying the law and reporting violations of the law and Performing public service when the need arises.Privileges may be defined by what they are notthey are not rights, and thus a citizen has to earn a privilege. For example, it is not a birthright to take up a car. Driving well benefits society and the driver, continues the privilege, and costs the driver and thus all other drivers less in insurance. Driving poorly or dangerously costs more insurance and may even cause loss o f a drivers license. A classroom discussion with students could elicit other examples. Civics Standard Three 6-8a Students will understand that civil rights secure political freedom while property rights secure economic freedom and that both are essential protections for United States citizens.Essential QuestionsIn what ways are citizens protected from the government? From each other? How might shared rights lead to conflict between citizens or citizens and the government? To what extent do property rights24 define an individuals freedom? This benchmark calls for a further elaboration of the ideal of freedom by making a distinction between political and economic freedoms25. At this stage, a student should understand the connection between civil rights and the requirements of democracy, which is the means by which political freedom is secured. Freedom of expression, the right to vote, the right to due process, etc., are clearly necessary to democracy, and thus tothe securing of freed om. Yet the lack of property rights would make even these rights precarious, blurring the distinction between political and economic rights in practice.Some basic property rights can be considered essential protections for political as well as economic freedom. The enormous powers and resources that governments possess pose considerable threats to a relatively defenseless individual. civic and property rights impose reasonable limits on those who hold power and create the conditions in which fundamental individual liberties might be protected and enjoyed. The center of gravity in this benchmark is the understanding of the connection between property rights and freedom in general. Citizens, by applying civil rights, can acquire property or make economic decisions freely. The student will have to understand the concept of economic freedom to see how property rights relate to the subset of human activities we label economic. In essence, economic freedom is the right to own, use, and di spose of property, but it also involves the right to sell ones labor.A well-developed understanding would include the realization that property rights can also conflict with freedom, and that they are subject to the same conflicts and tradeoffs as other rights or values and may actually curtail or even deny other peoples liberties (e.g., claiming slaves as property or attempting to keep minorities out of neighborhoods). Open-ended questions that teachers might ask in a classroom include1. Why is private ownership of stemmaes and homes seen as important to freedom?2. How might the property rights of a business owner threaten the freedom of others? 3. Which is more important making sure everyone has a job or allowing everyone to choose their job? Why?4. How do political rights secure political freedom?5. When might individuals property rights conflict with the freedom of others? Civics Standard Three 6-8b Students will understand that American citizenship includes responsibilities s uch as voting, control board duty, obeying the law, service in the armed forces when required, and public service.Essential QuestionWhy should American citizens perform certain civic duties?Responsibilities is the word that dominates this benchmark. The benchmark lists examples of what citizenship in a democracy requires, andunderstanding why each is necessary elaborates the understanding of the general purpose of citizenship responsibilities. The general purpose, of course, is to meet the requirements of freedom. Demands for freedom create the potential for great disorder unless citizens of a free society act responsibly. Open-ended questions that teachers might ask in a classroom include 1. How can people be free if they have responsibilities like jury duty and possibly military service? 2. Why are people responsible for obeying the law even if they dont agree with it? 3. Why should we be concerned if many citizens do not vote in most elections? 4. If voting is a responsibility o f citizenship, why are citizens not required by law to vote? 5. Do citizens have responsibilities mainly for the good of the government or for the good of their workfellow citizens? CIVICS STANDARD FOUR Students will develop and employ the civic skills necessary for effective, participatory citizenship Participation.Enduring UnderstandingsStudents will understand thatEffective citizens can research issues, form reasoned opinions, support their positions, and engage in the political process. Effective governance requires responsible participation from diverse individuals who translate beliefs and ideas into lawful action and policy. There is a change in focus from understanding to skills with the fourth standard, but understanding is necessary to show evidence of such skills on the test. Why is still important, but how and what have equal billing on this standard. Why does a citizen participate? How does a citizen participate in democracy? What does a citizen do? Civics Standard qu aternion requires students to demonstrate and use effectively the skills of a citizen. Such skills include, but are not limited toRegistering to voteInteracting successfully with government agenciesOrganizing and working in civic groupsResearching and advocating a position orServing in an office of public trust.Teachers should use activities in the classroom which simulate or model the skills. Civics Standard cardinal 6-8a Students will follow the actions of elective officials, and understand and employ the mechanisms forcommunicating with them while in office.Essential QuestionsWhich means for communicating with office holders is usually more effective and why? Why is it important to know about the person and circumstances when communicating with an officeholder? This benchmark moves from becoming informed about candidates to staying informed about elected officials. Student understanding of participation is expected to spiral at the grade 68 level so that students acquire the sk ills and understandings needed to monitor the actions of, and communicate effectively with, officials after they have been elected to office. Understanding the mechanisms for communicating with office holders involves why citizens should communicate and awareness of the available means to communicate and their relative effectiveness.What is an effective method of communication depends on the person in office and circumstances. For example, a citizen just cannot paseo to the front door of the White House and ask to see the President (at least not anymore). But a citizen could (and often will) call a school board member or other local official at home to discuss issues of importance. A representative democracy is supposed to function at its best when informed citizens communicate a range of ideas, opinions, desires, and concerns to their representatives so that they might enact prudent public policies and serve in ways that honor and promote the common good. Open-ended questions that a teacher might ask in a classroom include 1. How does a citizen communicate with a member of sexual relation? 2. How does a citizen find out what an elected official has done since they were elected?