Duties of American Citizenship

Responsibilities Include Voting, Jury Duty, and Paying Taxes

Oct 26, 2009

Although the duties of citizenship appear minor, everyday American citizens seek to avoid them, forgetting the importance of an active citizenry in a Democracy.

Being an American citizen carries with it a number of duties and responsibilities, chief of which is active participation in the democratic process. Yet many Americans take these duties for granted and some will take steps to avoid them altogether. This is a particularly poor signal to other countries struggling to implement democratic processes. In Iran, for example, recent elections demonstrated that everyday people were willing to risk injury and even death in order to cast their vote.

Citizens Should be Active in the Democratic Process

In 1945 Germany was shedding its totalitarian Nazi past when the United States began the process of helping Germans write a Constitution and move toward a fully democratic society. A nation that had limited participation in the voting process changed because of the U.S. model. In the recent 2009 federal elections, voter turnout in Germany was only 70.8% compared to 77.7% in 2005. Yet in the 2008 US presidential election, voter turnout was 56.8, up from 37.1% in 2006. The United States experienced voter turnout percentages of over 60% only three times between 1960 and 1968. The U.S. model is often outsourced, yet our own experience remains dismal.

Being active in the democratic process means becoming familiar with key campaign issues, knowing the candidates, and voting on election day. Part of this process also means that qualifying citizens should consider either running for an office themselves or volunteering time on behalf of candidates.

Jury Duty and Paying Taxes

Jury duty as a democratic responsibility began in Athens in Ancient Greece when it was decided to pay jurors in order to create juries truly reflective of the citizenry. Today, jury duty pays only a few dollars a day and in some cases reimburses parking and lunch expenses. The process relies on the goodwill of citizens that are willing to exercise their civic responsibilities.

The Constitution guarantees a jury of one’s peers. Whether in civil or criminal court, anyone can find themselves in the defendant’s chair, hoping that the twelve members of the jury will find for the defense. This depends on the willingness of citizens to devote one or more days to the process. Judges are usually very malleable to potential jurors with medical or other emergency conflicts and may postpone serving. Yet everyday thousands of people receiving jury summonses open their envelopes thinking of ways to evade this responsibility.

No state can provide necessary services without imposing taxes on its citizens. Paying taxes is an important part of being a citizen and ties people more closely to their government. When government expenditures no longer represent the consent of the governed, citizens respond at the ballot box or, as in the case of the recent Tea Party protests, vocalize their dissent through demonstrations.

Protecting the Constitution is a Civic Duty

All new citizens recite an oath in which they promise to defend the Constitution. Specifically, this refers to obeying the laws of the land (the Constitution is the supreme law of the land) as well as serving in the military. During the Vietnam War, many young Americans fled to Canada or other countries to avoid the military draft. Although the draft at that time may have had flaws, it fulfilled the requirements mandating that Congress, acting on behalf of the governed, can require men to serve in defense of their country.

Being an American citizen carries several duties. In each case, these duties reflect the ability of the federal and state governments to function properly for the overall welfare of every citizen and legal resident alien.

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The copyright of the article Duties of American Citizenship in American Affairs is owned by Michael Streich. Permission to republish Duties of American Citizenship in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.