Responsibilities of citizenship | Citizenship | High school civics | Khan Academy

In addition to citizenship rights, citizens also have responsibilities and obligations. Now, obligations are those activities that citizens must do or they'll face legal repercussions. But responsibilities are activities that citizens should do to be good and productive members of society. So, you won't get in trouble with the law if you don't do them, but your community will be a better place if you do.

We'll talk more about the obligations of citizenship in another video, so for now, let's just focus on the responsibilities. What are those responsibilities? First, there's voting. It's not legally required that citizens vote in the United States, unlike in some other countries where citizens can get in trouble if they don't vote. But responsible citizens get involved with the decision-making process through voting.

To be a good voter, it's important that citizens are informed. They stay up to date on the issues that government is facing, and they research candidates and ballot measures before they vote. But voting isn't the only way to be a responsible citizen. You can also do so by voicing your concerns.

For example, something I did recently—and this is true—was emailing my city's transit department about a street light that wasn't functioning properly near where I live. The transit department came out and fixed it, and now there's less of a chance that an accident will happen in that intersection. So, when you notice a problem that may affect others, it's responsible to speak up and try to fix things.

You can also act as a responsible citizen by volunteering. If you have a skill to teach others or time to give for a good cause, you can make your community a better place through your service. Lastly, good citizens respect the rights and beliefs of others. They understand that in a democracy, not everyone may have the same opinions or concerns as they do, but everyone else is entitled to the same rights as they are.

So, that's a quick rundown of the responsibilities of citizenship. Which one do you think is most important? What other things can you do to improve your community?