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Introduction to Civics
Citizens are residents of a "civilization" or Country who have certain rights afforded to them by the government,
but have to fufill certain duties as a member of the community/state/country.
Civics is the study of rights and duties of citizens
In the olden days - only a few members of society were "citizens"...
Now, EVERYONE is a "citizen"
citizens share a :
common history
common customs
common beliefs
they agree to follow a set of rules
accept the government's authority
These common values help UNITE a VERY diverse population
What are Values?
The general principles, or beliefs, you use to
make judgements are your values...
example: at EA, we value Sportmanship....
good sportsmanship is something we believe in...
Therefore: at games we treat our opponents, the referees,
and our teammates with respect...and we play the game properly...and with pride.
Values are Broad Ideas about what is good or desireable...
and are shared by the members of a society. They influence the way we act.
American Values and Institutions
Americans share key values, and these values are reflected in the important "institutions" of American Life.
Our Values are contained in 3 different documents
- The Declaration of Independance
- The Constitution
- The Bill of Rights
What are some basic American Values?
- freedom
- equality
- opportunity
- justice
- democracy
- unity
- respect
- tolerance
One HUGE Value is "Popular Sovereignty" - meaning rule by the people...
this concept gives us:
- fair, free, and regular elections
- equal justice under the law
- majority rule
Another Key term to understand is "Institution"
or a "social institution" - these are sets of ideas that people have
about relationships, obligations, roles, and functions.
What is the MOST Important Institution
other institutions would be Religious, Educational, and Social
examples?