In the United States, government serves the citizens. It protects constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to equal protection under the law. American citizens exercise many rights and privileges that empower them to participate fully in the nation’s political, economic, and cultural life.
“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
During his brief administration, Kennedy inspired young Americans to join government programs that worked to fight poverty at home and abroad. Though an assassin cut short the Kennedy presidency after only one thousand days, the challenge of his inaugural speech continues to inspire Americans not only to ask—but to act—to help their country, their communities, and their world.
This book describes some of the activities and responsibilities that Americans take on voluntarily to be good citizens and to better their neighborhoods, communities, and states. Hundreds of thousands serve in positions in local and state government or engage in campaigns to promote particular candidates or issues. Tens of millions give their free time to volunteer in nonprofit organizations that work for a greater good or devote part of their income to a worthy cause. In thousands of ways, Americans contribute to their society and their country, understanding that citizenship is a privilege to be paid for over and over again.
The responsibility of citizenship calls Americans to participate in the political process and to volunteer in their communities. Above, clockwise from lower left: College students in Austin, Texas, give their time to spruce up a neighborhood by planting trees; citizens wait in line in San Francisco, California, to vote in the 2008 presidential election; AmeriCorps volunteers paint a house in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2003.