How to Be a Good Citizen

What is citizenship?

Citizenship means being a citizen, or member of a group. When you are apart of a group, you have certain rights and responsibilities.

What is a right?

A right is something you are allowed to have. The right to vote means, when a citizen turns 18, he/she is allowed to vote for who they want to be president or even vote on how money in his/her town should be spent. Citizens also have the right to a free public education. Some countries don’t have those rights. There are many rights citizens of the United States have.

What is a responsibility?

Responsibilities are things people have to do because it is doing their fair share. A responsibility of a citizen would be to obey the law. People, who don’t obey the law, are not only hurting themselves, but others too. It wouldn’t be fair if a person drove to fast, because it could hurt someone else. That’s why when people break the law they get into trouble. There are responsibilities for everyone, everywhere. Even at home and school. Other responsibilities are being polite, being fair, telling the truth, or doing something when you say you will. Think of all of the responsibilities you have everyday.

Who makes the rules for people to follow?

It may be difficult sometimes to want to follow rules, but rules are made so that people don’t get hurt physically or with words. Parents make rules to keep you safe from dangerous people or places. Police officers watch to make sure people don’t break laws. It isn’t because they like to find bad people, but because they want to make sure others don’t get hurt. Teachers and principals want students to follow rules at school. If there weren’t any rules at school, how could anyone get their education that they have a right to?

What are some ways citizens show respect to their country?

We say the Pledge of Allegiance, celebrate national holidays, and honor our national symbols. The correct way to say the Pledge of Allegiance:

*Stand up, straight and tall *Place right hand over chest

*Remove hats *Look at the flag while saying the pledge

National holidays we celebrate: *Labor Day *Memorial Day *Independence Day

Symbols of our country: *Bald Eagle *American Flag *Constitution


  • Honesty     is the basic theme of good citizenship. A person must be honest with others, and with himself or herself, in order to be a good citizen.


  • Compassion     is the emotion of caring for people and for other living things. Compassion gives a person an emotional bond with his or her world.


  • Respect     is similar to compassion but different in some ways. An important aspect of respect is self-respect, whereas compassion is directed toward others. Respect is also directed toward inanimate things or ideas as well as toward people. For example, people should have respect for laws. Finally, respect includes the idea of esteem or admiration, whereas compassion is a feeling people can have for others they don’t necessarily admire.


  • Out of honesty, compassion, and respect comes Responsibility, which includes both private, personal responsibility and public responsibility. Individuals and groups have responsibilities. Responsibility is about action, and it includes much of what people think of as good citizenship. You may wish to point out that one of the main responsibilities of students is to learn. They must educate themselves so that they can live up to their full potential.

  • Finally, the theme of Courage is important to good citizenship. Human beings are capable of moving beyond mere goodness toward greatness. Courage enables people to do the right thing even when it’s unpopular, difficult, or dangerous. Many people---including Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, and Mohandas Gandhi---have had the courage to change the rules to achieve justice