8.2.1 Evaluating Citizenship
Completion requirements
8.2.1 Evaluating Citizenship
© Courtesy Linda Howell Brewer
Hyde Park in London, England, is home to the statues of many leaders, including former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, former United States President Abraham Lincoln, and former South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts, a leader in the Boer
rebellion against Britain. In 2007, another statue was added to the park, that of Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for trying to overturn South Africa's racist apartheid system. He was freed in 1990, becoming South Africa's first black
leader in 1994 after the fall of apartheid.
The statement on the flag is quoted from Mohandas Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of India during its independence movement. He advocated non-violent civil disobedience to resist tyranny, which inspired the civil rights movements for civil rights around the world. The full text of the quotation is "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
In the previous section, you considered various perspectives on citizenship. What citizenship means to you depends on your worldview and your ideology. However, the general understanding of citizenship is that it includes both civil rights and human rights and the civic responsibilities that accompany belonging to a society. Citizenship involves both individual and collective rights and responsibilities. It is personal, but it is also something that we share.
The statement on the flag is quoted from Mohandas Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of India during its independence movement. He advocated non-violent civil disobedience to resist tyranny, which inspired the civil rights movements for civil rights around the world. The full text of the quotation is "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
In the previous section, you considered various perspectives on citizenship. What citizenship means to you depends on your worldview and your ideology. However, the general understanding of citizenship is that it includes both civil rights and human rights and the civic responsibilities that accompany belonging to a society. Citizenship involves both individual and collective rights and responsibilities. It is personal, but it is also something that we share.
Citizenship in a liberal democracy has political, social, and economic implications. Politically, it involves in the democratic process through voting and obeying the laws of the land. It can also mean being informed about issues, supporting political parties through donations and actions, speaking out when you agree or disagree with government policies, and running for office. Socially, it means doing your part to make your community a better place. Economically, it means paying your taxes-and can also mean using the government services that are offered to you as a Canadian and spending your money responsibly to support corporations you believe in.
We cannot all be Mandela or Gandhi, but we each can take action as citizens in our own way.
In not my but our collective hands is held the promise of change.
Mark Sanford
In this section, you will consider the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens in a liberal democracy. You will consider responses to humanitarian crises and the role of dissent and protest. You will also evaluate the most effective means of taking action to affect change in society .
How should I act as a citizen of a liberal democracy?