Civic Participation
& Citizenship
& Citizenship
Actions such as voting, protesting, joining organizations, and using a free press to influence government decisions.
Civic participation
This document contains the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing individual rights, including freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and due process.
The Bill of Rights
A system of government in which citizens elect representatives who make laws and govern on their behalf.
Representative Democracy / Republic
A form of government in which power is inherited and held entirely by a king or queen, who has final authority over laws and government decisions.
Absolute Monarchy
American society developed through migration, forced movement, and colonization rather than from a single shared culture or experience.
American Diversity
The relationship between an individual and a government that includes rights, duties, and responsibilities.
Citizenship
This principle requires that laws apply equally to everyone, including government leaders.
Rule of law
A system of government in which citizens vote directly on laws rather than electing representatives, possible in ancient societies where only wealthy property-owning men were citizens.
Direct democracy
A system of government in which a monarch exists and power is limited by a constitution, but authority is still inherited rather than chosen by the people.
Constitutional Monarchy
By 1730, these European countries still controlled colonies in North America after claiming Indigenous homelands.
Who were Spain, France, and Britain?
Actions citizens are legally required to perform, such as obeying laws, paying taxes, and serving on juries.
Civic duties
The right that allows people to criticize the government through speech, protest, and a free press without punishment.
Freedom of speech
This principle means that a government’s power comes from the people through voting, protesting, signing petitions and other forms of civic participation, not inheritance, violence, or religion.
Popular Sovereignty
A system of government in which a single leader holds absolute control, limits political freedoms, and suppresses opposition.
Dictatorship
Before European arrival, these societies already had their own languages, systems of governance, and relationships to land across the Americas.
Native Americans
Actions expected of citizens to support democracy, such as staying informed about current events and participating in public life through voting, community meetings, or peaceful protest.
Civic responsibilities
This term refers to basic freedoms and protections that limit government power, such as freedom of speech and due process.
Civil liberties
A form of government in which people can freely choose among real options and remove leaders peacefully through fair elections.
Democracy
A government run by a small, wealthy group that holds controlled elections and eliminates opposition through arrests, censorship, or violence.
Oligarchy
This historical process reshaped the Americas through land seizure, violence, forced labor systems, and the imposition of foreign authority.
Colonization
This legal term has been used to describe documented and undocumented foreigners, but it is widely criticized for being dehumanizing, leading to calls for changes in legal language.
Alien
This principle means the government must follow legal steps, including a lawful arrest and a trial, before punishing someone.
Due Process
In authoritarian governments, this right is denied so people can be arrested and punished without fair trials, especially journalists, political opponents, and groups labeled as enemies by the government.
Due Process
A system of government where religious beliefs become government laws, and actions considered sins are treated as crimes.
Theocracy
During industrialization, this group often worked dangerous jobs with low pay and few protections due to discrimination and unequal laws.
Immigrants?