Soul of a Citizen has introduced us to many individuals who have taken upon themselves to make changes happen. Whether it was being involved in programs, introducing us to new programs, or learning from others’ inspiring actions, we can all use the inspiration within this book to encourage us to act responsibly as a citizen. These actions mimic the Franciscan values that are wrapped around many organizations and schools. One such individual highlighted in this book was Virginia Ramirez. Virginia, a Hispanic woman, who stayed at home with her children, never finished college.
Citizenship in Athens and Rome: Which was the Better System? 1. The idea of citizenship, or a status given by a government to its people, emerged in approximately 500 BCE. Citizens were responsible for playing significant roles in the life of the state or nation, but in turn were able to possess and benefit from certain rights. Compared to Athens, the Roman Republic's system of citizenship was better in the fact that it was more generous, although careful, in granting citizenship in which rights made the government much more organized.
There was something pulling me back” (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000.) The citizen described by Aristotle is a member of the polis. The polis is particularly important in defining the citizen because it is what allows self-sufficiency. This self-sufficiency creates an artificial equality that causes people to do things for the public good.
How to be a good American means following the laws. By doing that it makes you an good citizen. You have to give back what you get for example; giving out your opinion and being able to have freedom. Being an good American means being able to speak your mind or anything really and being able in a way be a leader for people or even for yourselves. Just being a good citizen, being helpful around and be kind to people in need of help.
Having good citizenship means respecting personal freedoms, understanding the role of civic engagement, and having respect for democracy. This principle really stands out to me, because I have come to realize that a lot of people throughout the world don't have the same opportunities that young folks like me, have. For some, freedom is taken for granted. Personally, I don’t think I have ever taken it for granted, since being free is great because you can make your own decisions in life, which promotes diversity in thoughts and actions, in a society. This can also be displayed, by being engaged in civic activities, and standing up for yourself and others, as two examples.
The word citizen is a term that is very fraught and at times contradictory in its underlying meaning and message being shared and shifts throughout the text. Not only does the word Citizen imply various meanings, but as a repetition in the text, the word “you” shifts as well which directly correlates to the theme of the title. A perfect example of you shifting meaning in text from showing that you directly becomes a term relating to an individual being an outsider in a community whereas throughout the text Claudia Rankine uses you as a ideology to show individuality with oneself. An exemplary example of Claudia Rankine's shift with the word you, is a situation in which she addresses you as racial minority and showing a white person on the outside.
Citizenship is a status given by a government to some or all of its people. Being a citizen means not only meeting certain responsibilities, but also enjoying certain rights. In the U.S. today, many of our governmental institutions are based on concepts of the Ancient World. Citizenship in the United States resembles the concepts of citizenship in both Ancient Athens and Ancient Rome. Ancient Athens believed that participating in government and making the city-state work was a part of being a good citizen.
A citizen of the United States is a person who was born in the U.S. Citizenship would come with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Citizenship can be lost if one tries to take away an inalienable right from another citizen. Slavery is a prime example of this when southerners take away black people's liberties by using them for labor. Before being readmitted into the Union, a state must abolish slavery. Blacks and newly freed slaves should not be allowed to vote as they are uneducated and are not capable of casting an intelligent vote.
There are two philosophies on citizenship given by Aristotle in The Politics, and Marcus Aurelius in Meditations. I think that Aristotle’s theory is superior to that of Marcus Aurelius. I believe Aristotle gives a better description and real-world application on the idea of citizenship. Though his theory contains some ideas that are controversial in modern days I think we can use the rest of his theory to fix that.
Good Citizen So what characteristics makes a “good citizen” the late president, Theodore Roosevelt, states in his speech “The Duties of American Citizenship” that every citizen should actively participate in politics, also doing it in a practical manner and having the highest principles of honor and justice. I completely agree with Roosevelt’s speech. First of all, every citizen has the right to help influence politics in a lot of ways. Roosevelt points out that people can personally help by participating in choosing a responsible leader, speaking out on poor governance and supporting those in leadership positions.
After the National Assembly abolished the feudal system in France, they “decided that France would henceforth be a community of legally equal citizens” (Popkin, “French Revolution”, p.31). On August 27, 1789, the National Assembly created the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”. The purpose of this document was to cast off the feudal system and usher in a new system that would be more fair to all citizens of France. This is evidenced in article 1 of the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” that states “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights” (Popkin, “French Revolution”, p.31). There was an implication in the Declaration that “the hierarchies of power and privilege that had structured French society would cease
With humans, you need to be able to speak, eat properly, think intelligently, wear clothes, and hunt animals to be able to be considered a citizen. Although animals have more freedom than
Citizenship Throughout History Because of the relationship between the state and individual, the meaning of the term “citizen” has changed over the centuries. Whether referring to ancient civilizations and states, or current America, each individual has or had their own personal responsibility and rights (more so increasing with time). The concept of who is a citizen of a state has also varied over time, especially back in the day when states would conquer other states and take the reigns. Therefore, what it means to be a citizen differs based upon the time and location of the state, starting with the earliest civilizations all the way to current day.
In Aristotle’s view, a city is wholly made up of citizens. So to first be a citizen, a person must first be apart of a city. Aristotle continues by saying that there may be no one right answer to what a citizen is. A citizen in a democracy versus a citizen in an oligarchy could be two different things while still being defined as citizens. Aristotle however does have some conditions that are to be followed to exclude certain people as being citizens.
In my personal opinion, the Common Good is improving the world around you. And while the society is important, I believe to truly advance the Common Good, one needs to improve oneself first in order to exemplify the values and traits that will change the Common Good. Now being at the University of Saint Thomas has always been a dream of mine and when I was accepted, I was jumping for joy! I understand I still have lots to learn, however I believe being at Saint Thomas will help me grow as a person by the interactions I have with my peers. Now, I have always held myself at a high academic standard and I believe others should too.
