Download Notes

Unit 5: Personal, Political, & Economic Rights of Citizenship
Part 1
Rights



____________ or __________ entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain
way.
______________ rights are rights that everyone is entitled to by nature
o Ex. Life and liberty
Legal rights are rights that come from laws ether man made or divine
o Ex. Education and Salvation
Rights of a Citizen


These are legal rights that come from the constitution and in fact, many of them are _________
to non-citizens
o ____________ (one that belongs to a foreign nation or country)
 the term for non-citizen residents of the United States
Because the U.S. constitution rarely uses the term “____________” the supreme court has
ruled that rights granted by the constitution are granted to all persons even aliens, unless
specifically stated by the constitution
Personal Rights



The rights that a person has over their own __________ and to make decisions about their own
lives
These include right to speech, ________________, choice, etc.
In the United States, the freedom of a citizen allows them to make decisions about their own
____________ with little to no government ______________
Job of Choice


In the United States, citizens have a right to choose the type of __________ they wish to pursue
and can choose to change their minds when they want
_____________, on the other hand, do not have the same rights
o ___________ can limit a person’s job choices
o Legal status can also limit a person’s job choices
Political Rights



Refers to the rights that citizens have to either ___________________ or not in
_____________.
o This includes choosing whether or not to join a political party or to leave or switch
parties as they wish
_____________ is also the cornerstone of this right in a democracy
Running for office is also a political right
1

Political rights even include the ability to disagree with other parties
The right to vote


All states require a person to be a ____________ to vote in national elections
o President, senator, and congress
Some local communities do ______________ non-citizen residents to vote on _____________
matters
o City council, mayor, and local ordinances
Economic Rights


Includes the right to basic ________________, such as food and health care
The ability to make one’s own _______________ decisions
o Choosing how to spend their money
o where they would like to ___________ employment
o The ability to create their own jobs
Private Property



In the United States, citizens and even _________________ residents have the right to own
property that cannot be _________________ by the government without due process of law
Government cannot take a person’s property without _______________ first in court that it is
in the best interest of the community that the property be taken
If it is taken, the owner must be repaid ______________ ______________ for the property
Part 2
Duties Vs. Responsibilities


Duties are things that we have to do
o If we do not do these things, then the government could take __________ action
against us
Responsibilities are things that we should do
o There is no _____________ for not doing these things, but they need to be done to help
our democracy flourish
Voting


There are no legal penalties for not voting
However, some argue that with the _____________ that some have made for us to have that
right vote, that it is a moral duty
Counter



While voting is one of the greatest rights we have, it should not be taken ____________
The founders never intended on _______________ people voting
Therefore, one can argue that a uniformed vote is not what people sacrificed their lives for
2

An uninformed vote can easily ______________ out a well informed and planned vote
Paying Taxes



The IRS was created to ___________ and ______________ people for failing to pay their full tax
portion
The founding fathers declared independence because of taxes
The government allows people to _________ deferent things from their taxes which leads
many people on the search for the greatest deductions possible
Counter

Without taxes, the government cannot fund vital programs like:
o Defense, affordable food, education, and even housing
Running for Office


No one is forced to run for office
The best way to get the kind of __________ that you want or believe in is to make the change
yourself
Counter



Morally, people argue that if you think you know how things should be done then you should
produce the change your self
This is a rare ____________ that we have if we don’t like the governor, we can challenge that
person in the next election
Winning is not always the goal. Some people run just to get their ____________ across and
force the main candidates to look more closely at an issue
Serving on a Jury



The ______________ entitles people to a trial by a jury of their peers
To have this right for ______________, we must do our part to ____________ the right to
others
If a person is called to serve, they are ______________ required to serve or provide a
compelling argument as to why surviving would be to great a burden
Counter

For religious and moral reasons, some people ____________ because they don’t want to judge
others
3
Part 3 The Evolution of Civil Rights
Civil Rights




Civil Rights - The rights of citizens to ___________ and __________ freedom and equality
In the United States, there have been several ___________ civil rights movements and some
are still on going
A civil rights movement is a movement meant to increase a groups’ political and social freedom
and equality
Some examples include:
o African Americans (right to vote and end Jim crow), Women's rights (suffrage equal pay
for equal work), and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender, )
Voting Rights

The right to vote has _____________ greatly over the history of the United States and many
different groups have ________________ for the right to vote to be _____________ to them
Voting Rights Time Line
















In 1790, only ___________ property owning males could vote
In 1850, property ownership and tax requirements eliminated so that _________ white men
could vote
In 1855, first literacy test for voting to ____________ against __________________ immigrants
In 1870, the 15th Amendment was passed giving former slaves the right to vote and protecting
the rights of most adult males of any race
In 1889, the first poll tax was adopted to ____________ African American voting in the south
In 1890, ________________ tests adopted in the south to discourage African American voters
(_____________ clause let people who could vote before 1870 and their descendent vote
without passing the test)
In 1915, in Guinn v. United States the Supreme Court rules grandfather clauses are in _______
with the 15th Amendment
In 1920, the 19th Amendment guarantees women’s ____________
In 1924, Indian Citizenship Act grants all Native Americans rights of citizens, including the right
to vote
In 1944, The Supreme Court ____________ “white primaries” and the court declares the
process to be a ____________ process and is bound by the 15th Amendment
In 1957, the civil rights act creates the Civil Rights Commission to _______________ voter
discrimination
In 1960, _____________ is out lawed
In 1964, the 24th Amendment outlaws ________ _________ in federal elections
In 1965, Dr. King mounts voter registration drive to draw attention to African American voting
rights
In 1965, Voting Rights Act protects minority voters and eliminates voting _____________
4




In 1966, the Supreme Court eliminates the ______________ __________
In 1970, Literacy requirements are banned for five years
In 1971, the 26th amendment sets the voting age at 18
In 1975, Literacy requirements are ____________________ removed
Equal Employment Opportunities











Not all parts of the Civil Rights movement have to do with the way government _____________
with its people but also how people interact with other people.
During the colonial era, __________________ discrimination took hold in the United States
Women were not allowed to go to ______________ as long as men were
o This led to a reduction of opportunities after school
o Most women could not own their own property. What they had or made belonged to
their husbands
Slaves were rarely taught ________________ jobs
Parents often collected the checks of children that worked
Even ___________ ____________ were discriminated against based on their nationality
On top of all that, there was very little government oversite to provide safe working places and
ensure equal pay
As the Civil Rights movements begin to increase the freedom of people, a new component is
added.
Equal Employment Opportunities means to end employment____________________ based on
race, color, age, sex, national origin, religion, or mental or physical disability.
Without Equal Employment laws, employers could
o ______________ to hire someone just because of who they are or where the come from
o Pass someone over for a _______________
o Pay a person a lower wage then another employee doing the same work
Some types of discrimination include:
o Race: not ____________ someone because of their race or skipping them for a
promotion
o ___________: not hiring a woman that just got married because she will likely need
time off soon to have baby
o Religion: not letting someone wear a religious item to work
o Age: not hiring a person because they will retire soon
o ______________: not hiring somebody that is in a wheelchair
Fair Housing


Prior to the Civil Rights movement, ____________ and _______________ had very little
oversight and could refuse to sell or rent to whoever they chose, and landlords could choose to
charge more rent for minorities
This was used to keep minorities out of certain parts of town
5

In 1968, not long after the death of Dr. King, a Civil Rights act was passed. Title VIII (8) gave the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) the ____________ into fair housing
practices
Gender Discrimination

Gender ________________ is any type of discrimination that occurs because of a person’s
gender
o Not hiring a _______________ because she may get pregnant soon
o Not paying a woman that _____________ as a man for doing the same job
o Skipping a person for promotion to promote someone of the opposite sex, but same or
less experiences
Part 4 The Role of the Media In American Politics
The Role of the Media



When our nation was founded, the primary media outlet was the _____________.
During and leading up to the revolution, the newspapers were used to rally people to the cause
of freedom and liberty
After the war, the newspapers began to take sides in the _________ debates that raged across
the country
o Most large cities had a newspaper for each ________ ________ that published articles
that favored their candidate
Evolution to Propaganda




One could debate if there ever really was a newspaper reporter that was ________ to the truth
Before long, newspaper ______________ began to function as political headquarters during
elections
With articles having a clear bias, the stories quickly became Propaganda
_____________ - information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or
publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
The Danger of Propaganda




Propaganda is a ____________ tool in the hands of the wrong people because it can be used to
get ordinary people to do incredible things
Propaganda is a tool used when a person or group is trying to win the _________ and ________
of another group so that they will do something
o During wars, it is not uncommon to see the other side as not human
This makes it easier for soldiers to kill enemies in battle
During elections, it is used to get people to ________ in a pre-planned way
6
Media and Public Opinion



Just like newspapers were used to persuade the colonists to fight, the revolutionary war media
is still used to impact politics by changing public _______________
________________ - the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and
the Internet), regarded collectively.
Today, there are more choices than ever for people to get their information
o This brings new ______________
Newspapers



Newspapers are the ____________ form of communication in the country, and as such, are in
decline
Fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers than ever before
o In New Orleans, the once _______ paper has reduce prints to just a few days a week to
cut costs
The newspapers that want to survive today are changing to a _________________ transcription
that can be updated instantly
Radio



After the newspaper, the radio is the second oldest means of _____________________ used
today
Radio was the first ______________ mass communication media
Instantly people over great distances could hear the same message
o And as early as the 1930 some form of talk radio has existed
Radio Today



Most of the political radio today takes the form of _____________ ____________ where a
host or a group of hosts interview people or take questions from their listeners to discuss
________________ topics of the day
Most radio stations have a very obvious _____________ or __________
o Meaning that they favor a political party or idea over the others
With talk radio, people are able to connect through a host to thousands of other people that
share a similar belief
Talk Radio


Talk radio is dominated by _________________ hosts that are broadcasted across the country
live where callers from across the country can call in to give their opinion on topics and ask
questions
These questions are usually answered by the host or a guest that they are _________________
or even sometimes by other callers
7

Talk radio can also be a great place for ________________ to get their message out to voters or
for elected officials to be questioned by the public
Television






Like the radio, television gives people near instant _________________ across the country
o People feel ___________________ knowing they are watching the same thing as
someone else.
News channels have ___________________ from hour long programs to 24 hour broadcasting
Just like newspapers and radio, the news channels also have taken sides. Some are more
neutral, but others are more clear
The television allows people to see candidates in _____________ _____________, which has
greatly changed the way people run for office
Kennedy and Nixon were the first two ____________________ candidates to square off in a live
debate
o Those watching thought that Kennedy won and those listening on the radio thought
Nixon won
o Kennedy had help from Hollywood, such as makeup artists and actors
From this point on, tv played an ever-growing roll in how Americans choose to cast their
________
The Internet








This modern form of mass communication could easily take the place of the other three and
more
The internet is the media _______________ with the most potential and therefore, the most
danger.
There is no one to ____________ __________ the internet and anyone can post whatever
they want whenever they want
With the ability to hide one’s ______________, people become in boldened to say what they
want with little consequences
The internet is the number one source of _____________ News
o News that is passed off __________ _____________, but is completely made up of lies
Some comes from people that simply want to __________________ a candidate. It also comes
from crazy conspiracy people.
Facebook, Snap Chat, and Twitter make anyone with a connection a _______________, able to
make whatever claim they want whenever they want
This has already lead to false news reports during the last election
8