by Adja Roznic

Created on: January 15, 2009

Activities besides voting available to citizens are: serving as a juror, signing a petition for a candidate, serving in the military and lobbying for law are all ways you can participate in politics as a citizen. Our government and the way we participate in it is very important, as Abraham Lincoln stated, "We have a government of the people, by the people and for the people and that's the way it should be." Also, Thomas Jefferson, an important founder, thought that all people should have the chance to get an education. He thought that the main purpose to get an education is to make you a responsible citizen.

They knew the only way a government can work is if the people running it were well formed and greatly educated.
By serving on a juror, a citizen helps give an accused citizen a fair and speedy trial. The 6th
amendment in the Bill of Rights states that in criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial by an imperial jury. This insures that a citizen's natural rights will not be violated. The 1st amendment of the constitution states that citizens can petition the government about grievances they have.
By signing a petition, a person can obtain social changes without violence. If a citizen participates in the activities, they are helping make a stronger and better nation for all.

We believe that the most useful activity to participate in is campaigning for a public official. When you campaign for a candidate, you are supporting a person who has similar view of government and is trying to promote the common welfare of its citizens. The framers saw this to be important when they studied how Rome's republic ran and worked. Their citizens and representatives worked cooperatively to promote the common good for all of the citizens. A citizen's decision to participate in politics should be influenced by the person's interests, the common good of all the people and his or her own individual rights and privileges. A very important way in which a citizen decides how to participate in government depends on one's personal goals. Such personal goals that a person could have are: to live in a safe and orderly neighborhood, get a good education, live in a healthy environment, and to feel that you are a full member of your community and not an outsider. If a candidate cares about the citizen's personal goals, than that is a good reason to support that him or her. This is why many candidates go to towns and cities across the country to speak to citizens and learn of their personal goals. When doing this the candidates are able to introduce themselves to citizens as well as gain support. Although some citizens do not participate in government, many citizens believe that it is their responsibility to participate. Deciding to participate and how to participate is an important part of civic participation. To make a decision about this you must think about several things, such as: the purpose of government, how important your rights are to you, and the way the government is running. I believe that people need to participate in order to keep informed on what their government is doing.

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