December 2005 Capital District Roundtable

Citizenship in the Nation

Chris D Garvin Roundtable Commissioner

OUTLINE

Introduction Merit Badges Teacher’s Guide Sources Questions

Featured Link: http://www.scouter.com/compass/Advancement/BSA_Merit_Badges/

Citizenship-Nation/

Citizenship-Nation There are 12 external links and 0 sub-categories in this part of the

SCOUTER Net Compass Ben's Guide to U.S. Government, for Kids: Very cool site from the U.S.

Government Printing Office C.I.A.: The web site of the Central Intelligence Agency F.B.I.: The web site of the Federal Bureau of Investigation The White House: The White House U.S Agency for International Development: U.S. Agency for International

Development U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs: U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs U.S. Foreign Commercial Service: U.S. Foreign Commercial Service U.S. Passports: U.S. Passports U.S. Visas: U.S. Visas United States State Department: Represents the United States abroad.

Introduction

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." 

--Adlai Stevenson

Merit Badges

Merit Badges

Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge Personal Development Merit Badge

Group Source

www.meritbadge.com/home.htm Learning Worksheet Test Your Knowledge

Teacher’s Guide

Requirement 1 Explain what citizenship in the nation

means and what it takes to be a good citizen of this country. Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of a responsible and active American citizen.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Citizenship Explanation Guide Citizenship Ludwig von Mises Institute What is citizenship? JES Productions Citizenship (with audio clips) Ben's Guide to the US Government Citizenship -

also leads to Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens. Fun Games & Activities

Requirement 2 Do TWO of the following: Visit a place that is listed as a National Historic Landmark or

that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tell your counselor what you learned about the landmark or site and what you found interesting about it.

Tour your state capitol building or the U.S. Capitol. Tell your counselor what you learned about the capitol, its function, and the history.

Tour a federal facility. Explain to your counselor what you saw there and what you learned about its function in the local community and how it serves this nation.

Choose a national monument that interests you. Using books, brochures, the Internet (with your parent's permission), and other resources, find out more about the monument. Tell your counselor what you learned, and explain why the monument is important to this country's citizens.

Requirement 2

National Park Service National Historic Landmarks Program

Wikipedia  National Historic Landmarks Cupola.com State Capitol Building Histories Mind.net State Capitol Buildings Yahoo Search U.S. National Monuments Encyclopedia Britannica Monuments & Memorials

To find the location of your State Capitol Building, type in "your state name" and "capitol building" in an Internet search engine like Yahoo, Alta Vista, MSN, etc.

A Federal Facility is any institution owned and run by the federal government. Examples could be military, prisons, air ports, law enforcement agencies, post office, museums, etc.

Requirement 3 Watch the national evening news five days in a

row OR read the front page of a major daily newspaper five days in a row. Discuss the national issues you learned about with your counselor. Choose one of the issues and explain how it affects you and your family.

Keep notes on a notepad as you watch the news or read the newspaper.

Most TV stations air the National News before the Local News.

Newspapers are usually divided into National, State, and Local News.

Newspapers.com Find your local newspaper on the Internet here by clicking on your state. Choose your newspaper from the given list. Many newspapers have an online version available.

Requirement 4 Discuss each of the following documents with

your counselor. Tell your counselor how you feel life in the United States might be different without each one.

Declaration of Independence Preamble to the Constitution The Constitution Bill of Rights Amendments to the Constitution

Ben's Guide to the US Government Historical Documents National Archives and Records Administration  This site

provides an in depth look into our historical documents as well as providing actual photos of the originals.

US Constitution.net The Constitution Explained

Requirement 5 List the six functions of government as

noted in the preamble to the Constitution. Discuss with your counselor how these functions affect your family and local community. 

The Five Functions of Government  A look at what the Preemble to the Constitution says about the functions of government.

Political Systems  A Britannica Feature--The Functions of Government

US Constitution.net The Constitution Explained U.S. Senate Constitution of the United States

Requirement 6 With your counselor's approval, choose a speech of

national historical importance. Find out about the author, and tell your counselor about the person who gave the speech. Explain the importance of the speech at the time it was given, and tell how it applies to American citizens today. Choose a sentence or two from the speech that has significant meaning to you, and tell your counselor why.

Bartleby.com Inaugural Address of the Presidents of the United States

Junto Society Historical Speeches American Rhetoric Online Speech Bank (thousands of famous

speeches) (some with audio) Gettysburg Address Pres. Abraham Lincoln by Johnny Cash, Jeff

Daniels, or Sam Waterston (audio file) "Ask not what your country can do for you..." Pres. John F.

Kennedy Inagural Address (audio file)

Requirement 6 (continued) "I Have A Dream" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (audio file) Terrorist Attacks: Address to Congress about 911 Pres. George W.

Bush (audio file) "A date that will go down in Infamy" (Pearl Harbor) Pres. Franklin D.

Rooseveldt (audio file) "Ich bin ein Berliner" by Pres. John F. Kennedy speaking in Berlin,

Germany (MP3 audio file) "A Crisis of Confidence" by Pres. Jimmie Carter (audio file) Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster Pres. Ronald Reagan (audio file) Address to White Missionaries and Iroquois Six Nations Chief Red

Jacket (audio file) "America is really a family" Christopher Reeves (audio file) 2nd Annual Mexican Conference 1968 Cesar E. Chaves (audio file)

Requirement 7 Name the three branches of our federal government

and explain to your counselor their functions. Explain how citizens are involved in each branch. For each branch of government, explain the importance of the system of checks and balances.

Ben's Guide to the US Government explains the functions of the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, and the Executive Branch of the government.  Written on various educational levels (6th-7th Grade), (9th-12th Grade), etc.

Congress for Kids This site explains the various parts of the government in easy to understand terms.  When you get there, remember to also click on Tour of Federal Government and you have a list of many interesting topics.  Be sure to check out the Checks & Balances area.

Fact Monster Let the fact monster teach you about the three branches of the government, then go on to learn about the checks and balances.

Requirement 7 (continued) Though in this system of a separation of powers

each branch operates independently of the others. However, there are built in checks and balances to prevent tyrannous concentration of power in any one branch and to protect the rights and liberties of citizens. For example, the President can veto bills approved by Congress and the President nominates individuals to serve in the Federal judiciary; the Supreme Court can declare a law enacted by Congress or an action by the President unconstitutional; and Congress can impeach the President and Federal court justices and judges.

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/68/government/branches.html

Requirement 8 Name your two senators and the member of Congress

from your congressional district. Write a letter about a national issue and send it to one of these elected officials, sharing your view with him or her. Show your letter and any response you receive to your counselor.

Contacting the Congress  Simply click the map of any state you wish. Information on how to contact the Senators and the members of Congress from that state will be listed.

US House of Representatives  Official search page to find official address of the members of Congress.

US Senate  Official search page to find official address of the US Senators.

Sources

Sources Department of State

http://www.state.gov/ Scouting with Mr. R

http://www.relia.net/~thedane/citizen_nation.html

Ben’s Guide to US Government for Kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/index.html

Meritbadge.com http://www.meritbadge.com/mb/003.htm

Scouter Network http://www.scouter.com/compass/Advancement/BSA_Merit_Badges/

Citizenship-Nation/ The IVE League

http://www.iveleague.org/s021-ab.html

December 2005 Capital District Roundtable

QUESTIONS?

Capital District Roundtable

Chris D Garvin cdgarvin@yahoo.com (Home) 890-9537 (Cell) 890-3222

Roundtable Archive and Info http://www.hillviewscouting.org/capital_rndtbl