Lesson Purpose
America's founding principles assume the active involvement of its people in civic life. Popular sovereignty means that the people have ultimate governing authority, which carries with it the responsibility to exercise that authority knowledgeably. Protection of individual rights requires people to be guardians of their own rights and to be willing to defend the rights of others. This lesson describes ways that Americans can participate in civic life to help achieve the ideals they have set for themselves and their nation. It also explains how civic engagement can advance both self-interest and the common good. It also discusses issues related to voting and voter turnout.
America's founding principles assume the active involvement of its people in civic life. Popular sovereignty means that the people have ultimate governing authority, which carries with it the responsibility to exercise that authority knowledgeably. Protection of individual rights requires people to be guardians of their own rights and to be willing to defend the rights of others. This lesson describes ways that Americans can participate in civic life to help achieve the ideals they have set for themselves and their nation. It also explains how civic engagement can advance both self-interest and the common good. It also discusses issues related to voting and voter turnout.
KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS
nongovernmental organization (NGO)
An autonomous organization independent of direct governmental control that exists to perform any of a large variety of purposes, including those dealing with humanitarian, educational, or public policy problems and issues.
voluntary associations
Autonomous organizations founded and administered by private citizens, not elected officials, devoted to any number of purposes. Voluntary associations form an essential element of the social basis of democracy, especially American democracy.
voter registration
The requirement in some democracies for citizens to enroll in voting rolls before being allowed to participate in elections.
nongovernmental organization (NGO)
An autonomous organization independent of direct governmental control that exists to perform any of a large variety of purposes, including those dealing with humanitarian, educational, or public policy problems and issues.
voluntary associations
Autonomous organizations founded and administered by private citizens, not elected officials, devoted to any number of purposes. Voluntary associations form an essential element of the social basis of democracy, especially American democracy.
voter registration
The requirement in some democracies for citizens to enroll in voting rolls before being allowed to participate in elections.
It is important not only to know the state of civic engagement in the U.S., but also to have ideas to improve it. This video might help get your ideas going.
Primary Sources
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Tocqueville--Democracy in America, 1835, 1840
A review of American representational government in the 1830s, focusing on the reasons for success in America versus attempts and failures in other places. As “Democracy in America” revealed, Tocqueville believed that equality was the great political and social idea of his era, and he thought that the United States offered the most advanced example of equality in action. He admired American individualism but warned that a society of individuals can easily become atomized and paradoxically uniform when “every citizen, being assimilated to all the rest, is lost in the crowd.” He felt that a society of individuals lacked the intermediate social structures—such as those provided by traditional hierarchies—to mediate relations with the state. The result could be a democratic “tyranny of the majority” in which individual rights were compromised. Tocqueville was impressed by much of what he saw in American life, admiring the stability of its economy and wondering at the popularity of its churches. He also noted the irony of the freedom-loving nation’s mistreatment of Native Americans and its embrace of slavery. |
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Who Votes Now?
Who Votes Now? compares the demographic characteristics and political views of voters and nonvoters in American presidential elections since 1972 and examines how electoral reforms and the choices offered by candidates influence voter turnout. Drawing on a wealth of data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and the American National Election Studies, Jan Leighley and Jonathan Nagler demonstrate that the rich have consistently voted more than the poor for the past four decades, and that voters are substantially more conservative in their economic views than nonvoters. They find that women are now more likely to vote than men, that the gap in voting rates between blacks and whites has largely disappeared, and that older Americans continue to vote more than younger Americans. Leighley and Nagler also show how electoral reforms such as Election Day voter registration and absentee voting have boosted voter turnout, and how turnout would also rise if parties offered more distinct choices. |
Secondary Sources
Voting and Registration Data
Reported voting and registration data broken down several ways by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Worst Voter Turnout in 72 Years
Here you will learn how voter turnout in America has dramatically decreased...
Why is Voter Turnout so low in the United States?
Go to the site to learn what affects voter turnout, and why it is very low in the United States.
Obama Calls Out America's Dismal Voter Turnout: 'Why Are You Staying Home?'
President Barack Obama urged Americans frustrated with the lack of progress on immigration reform to voice their discontent at the ballot box, lamenting the dismal turnout in last November's midterm elections.
VOTER TURNOUT IN THE UNITED STATES
United State's voter turnout data
Reported voting and registration data broken down several ways by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Worst Voter Turnout in 72 Years
Here you will learn how voter turnout in America has dramatically decreased...
Why is Voter Turnout so low in the United States?
Go to the site to learn what affects voter turnout, and why it is very low in the United States.
Obama Calls Out America's Dismal Voter Turnout: 'Why Are You Staying Home?'
President Barack Obama urged Americans frustrated with the lack of progress on immigration reform to voice their discontent at the ballot box, lamenting the dismal turnout in last November's midterm elections.
VOTER TURNOUT IN THE UNITED STATES
United State's voter turnout data
