What Makes an American?

Do you know what it means to be a United States Citizen? Do you know the United States branches of government and their responsibilities? What about our rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States ourselves? How do they play a role in helping us be an informed United States citizen? Well, becoming an informed United States of America citizen is important. When becoming a knowledgeable citizen it can assist you when it’s time for you to vote. It can help you understand what political debate is going on in our communities.

Being aware of the government and our responsibilities as American citizens ourselves are indeed very imperative. When understanding our government, it’s necessary to understand its branches. These branches include the Judicial Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Legislative Branch. They are located in Washington D.C. and their responsibility as our government is to make sure each branch is working effectively and that the United States Constitution and our rights as citizens are protected.

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The first branch of the United State’s government is the Judicial Branch. The Judicial Branch has many responsibilities and roles in participating as part of our government. Its obligation is to interpret laws. It’s also the main court system where both criminal and civil cases are held. The Supreme Court, however, is the highest federal court in the Judicial Branch. There are nine chief justices who are appointed by the President himself for life in the Supreme Court. The Judicial Branch deals with cases, as stated before, criminal and civil.

Criminal cases usually involve felony cases which are serious crimes that involve violence or murder. Or misdemeanors which are less serious crimes than a felony. For example, the judges in the federal court systems can determine if the defendant, the person who is being sued or accused of breaking the law, is either guilty or not. If he or she is proven guilty, then the defendant either has to pay a fine or even go to jail. While the Judicial Branch interprets the laws, the Executive Branch carries out the laws.

The Executive Branch is the second branch of our government. It’s one of the highest and most powerful branches our government has. The Executive Branch’s accountability in our government is to implement or carry outlaws. It consists of the President, the Vice President, and the Cabinet members (the President’s advisors). The Executive Branch’s power is held by the President. The President is able to veto or approve new bills and appoint federal officials like the Supreme Court Justices. He is also able to sign new treaties with foreign countries. The Vice President is next in line. The Vice President is to be ready to take over the presidency if needed. His or her job is to be in authority over the Senate and to be able to break a tie if necessary. The Cabinet members are the President’s advisors. The Cabinet is supposed to advise the President on any matter related to the Cabinet members’ duty. The Cabinet consists of the President’s top fifteen officials, including the Vice President, such as Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs. While the Executive Branch implements laws, the Legislative Branch votes on and makes the laws.

The Legislative Branch is the third branch of the United States government. It consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate contains 100 senators, two from each state. Senators are elected for a six-year term. To become a senator, you must be at least thirty years of age or older, a natural-born citizen of the United States for at least nine years, and to have been a resident of the state the Senator represents. The Senate’s responsibility is to agree with treaties from foreign countries and approve officials such as judges for the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is divided by the fifty states and is made up of 435 members. Members of the House of Representatives are elected a two-year term. To become a member of the House of Representatives, you must be at least twenty-five years of age or older, a natural-born citizen of the United States for at least seven years, and a resident of the state he or she represents. The House’s main role is to focus on revenue bills, which is using different methods to raise money, impeach officials if necessary, and many more. Understanding the Branches of Government is one part of being an informed citizen. The next is knowing what rights and responsibilities we have as American citizens.

The first part of being an informed citizen is understanding the government, the next is knowing what rights and responsibilities we have as citizens of the United States. As an American citizen, our responsibilities include: respecting the United States Constitution, being aware of issues that are occurring in the communities, respecting and obeying both federal and local laws, ensuring that incomes, taxes, and bills are paid on time. (You don’t want to be in debt!) and to defend the country if needed. Our rights as American citizens, though, include the freedom to express yourself, the freedom of religion, the right to vote for any elected official, and most importantly the freedom of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Therefore, having valuable knowledge about our government and what rights and responsibilities we have are truly indispensable. It’s our job, as American citizens, to be able to be aware of what is going on in our government and around us. Especially if you are preparing to vote. Having knowledge and understanding about what our government and what rights we, as American citizens, posses do to protect us, and thus be informed about our government, is what it means to be an enlightened citizen of the United States of America.