Rights and Responsibilities of an Effective Citizen DBQ
Rights and Responsibilities of an Effective Citizen DBQ
By Jocelyn Freeman
1/14/15
P 6
The Ancient Rome Republic and our government have a lot more in common than you would think. They both have similar ideas of what an effective citizen looks like. An effective citizen obeys rules and laws, holds office, and voices their opinion in the government. These are the roles on effective citizen. Without these, the government would not remain intact without these roles of a citizen.
The first role of an effective citizen is obeying rules and laws. This isn’t a right, it is a responsibility. According to Theodore Roosevelt, “The Roman Republic fell… because it had ceased to be a republic at all. The laws were the same as they had been, but the people behind the laws had changed…” This means that the government relies on its citizens to support it. Without the support the government would crumble, and all order would be lost. This is precisely what happened in Ancient Rome. A good citizen is someone who upholds the rules and laws. This helps maintain the government and the principals it was founded on. It is a responsibility, to be a citizen. It isn’t just being able to do as you please. You must keep your end of the bargain, or else the balance will tip, and everything will crash and burn.
The second role of an effective citizen is holding office. This is a right we have as a citizen. According to Pericles, “No one…is kept [out of government] because of poverty.” This means that any citizen has the ability to run for and be elected to public office regardless of their race, religion, income, or education. The government can’t function without people holding office and running the government. Without people who go into politics, there wouldn’t any stableness nor equality. The government would be nothing, and therefore there wouldn’t be anyone to make decisions, which would lead to fighting and unorder. Holding office is a right we have, and
By Jocelyn Freeman
1/14/15
P 6
The Ancient Rome Republic and our government have a lot more in common than you would think. They both have similar ideas of what an effective citizen looks like. An effective citizen obeys rules and laws, holds office, and voices their opinion in the government. These are the roles on effective citizen. Without these, the government would not remain intact without these roles of a citizen.
The first role of an effective citizen is obeying rules and laws. This isn’t a right, it is a responsibility. According to Theodore Roosevelt, “The Roman Republic fell… because it had ceased to be a republic at all. The laws were the same as they had been, but the people behind the laws had changed…” This means that the government relies on its citizens to support it. Without the support the government would crumble, and all order would be lost. This is precisely what happened in Ancient Rome. A good citizen is someone who upholds the rules and laws. This helps maintain the government and the principals it was founded on. It is a responsibility, to be a citizen. It isn’t just being able to do as you please. You must keep your end of the bargain, or else the balance will tip, and everything will crash and burn.
The second role of an effective citizen is holding office. This is a right we have as a citizen. According to Pericles, “No one…is kept [out of government] because of poverty.” This means that any citizen has the ability to run for and be elected to public office regardless of their race, religion, income, or education. The government can’t function without people holding office and running the government. Without people who go into politics, there wouldn’t any stableness nor equality. The government would be nothing, and therefore there wouldn’t be anyone to make decisions, which would lead to fighting and unorder. Holding office is a right we have, and