Rights & Responsibilities of American Citizens

*American citizens are guaranteed certain rights; these rights are outlined for us in the Constitution of the United States. Our most important rights are listed in the Bill of Rights. The 14th Amendment defines what citizenship is and stands as one of the most important amendments. We as American citizens enjoy and cherish our rights; however we must realize that citizenship also comes with responsibilities. The responsibilities we have as citizens are as follows:

-Knowing about rights and laws: In order to fully enjoy the free 1society in which we live, we must be aware of the basic laws of our community, state, and country. We must also be aware of the rights that are in place to protect us. The ability to exercise one’s rights depends on an awareness of those rights

-Participation: It is important for Americans to take full advantage of the freedom and right we have to participate in our government. There are many ways in which we can participate.

-Voting: The easiest and most common way in which we can participate in our government is to vote in elections.

-Speaking Out: Exercising our freedom to express our opinions is an essential duty. We can do this by writing letters to our local, state, and federal governments, by writing letters to newspaper editorial pages, by distributing political literature, by simply talking to our friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and family members about politics. Some people even choose to exercise this right by standing on soapboxes on a crowded city streets screaming out their opinions through megaphones.

-Joining Political Organizations: Many people join and become active in political organizations. These organizations range from political parties to special interest groups. Some people even form their own political organizations.

-Running for Political Office: Some people who are highly involved in participation in government run for elected office.
Political Parties in America
*A political party is a group of people with broad common interests who organize to win elections, control government, and influence government policies. Different nations have different types of political party systems. There are 3 types of political party systems in the world today:

-One-Party System: In a one-party system the government is in effect the only political party. Many nations with communist or totalitarian governments have one-party systems; examples are China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and North Korea. In some nations the national religion is in effect the only political party; these countries have what is called a theocracy, examples are Iran, Afghanistan under the Taliban, and Vatican City.

-Multiparty System: In many nations people are free to openly believe in whatever they choose, in some of these nations the citizens organize many political parties that try to win elections. Most multiparty systems exist in Europe and feature a Parliamentary type of government. Examples of nations with multiparty systems are France, which has 5 major political parties; and Italy, which has 10 major political parties.

-Two-Party System: In some nations there are only two major political parties that completely dominate the political landscape. Other, so called, third parties are allowed to exist in nations with two party systems, however they have very little true political power and very little influence over the government. The best example of a nation with a two-party system in the world today is the United States of America.