Citizenship in America

Being a citizen of America is a great honor.  It is something that everyone should be proud and grateful of. Along with being a citizen comes responsibilities and duties that we need to fulfill.  There are many things we can do to be a good citizen and most of them are very simple, and easy to accomplish.    

One of the easiest things you can do to be a good American citizen is to get involved in your community.  You can do this simply by watching city council meetings on your local television channel.  You could also do this by talking with neighbors or friends about different issues that are affecting your city. You could get together with a couple friends and host a block party for your neighborhood, or help out as a volunteer at your local community center.  Simple little things that you do for other people around you can make a big difference in the long run.    

At home, there are many things you and your family can do to be a good citizen. You can collect old clothes and housewares to donate to local charities.  You can collect canned food for local food shelves and or you could pick up trash in your neighborhood to clean up the environment. Another thing you can do at home, on a daily basis, is recycle.  A recycling program is available in almost every community throughout our country. One of the main benefits of recycling is reducing the amount of raw material needed to create new items. Recycling allows for a product to be reused for the same purpose several times, thus not creating extra garbage that will eventually fill up all our landfills. All in all, there are many ways to be a good citizen right from your own home.       

Another very simple, yet extremely important, thing you can do is vote.  As a citizen of America, it is your rightful duty to vote.  Voting largely affects our country’s government and the choices that it makes.  You may not think that your one vote will matter much in the out come of an election, but it most certainly will.  If people don’t vote, their beliefs and opinions will not be represented in our government.  If you are not old enough to vote, you can still be informed about the candidates that are running for office.  So what do you have to loose? Get out there and let your voice be heard.    

America is one of the only countries in the world where you can live in peace and not be discriminated against because of your race, religion or beliefs.  Because of this, we should all be very proud of our great country and try our best to honor it by being a good citizen.