Lessons · Teaching · rights, and the duties beside them
What you are owed, and what is asked of you
Rights are protections a government may not remove: speech, belief, assembly, a fair trial, equal protection. Responsibilities are what citizens owe in return, some legally required like obeying law, paying tax and serving on a jury, and some expected rather than compelled, like voting and being informed.
Hone is a place to practise a career, one idea a day. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.
In beta. This lesson was written for Hone and has not yet been checked by a state certification officer. Practice material, not professional advice. What that means.
What it is for
Children are taught rights and rarely taught the duties beside them, and an examination asks for both. The distinction between what is legally required and what is merely expected is the sharp part, and it is where the questions are set.
How to think about it
Sort every item into required by law or expected of a citizen, and be clear which is which. Then take one right and ask what it would mean if the government could remove it, because that is what makes it more than a word on a list.
Worked example
Rights: speech, belief, assembly, a fair trial, equal protection under lawProtections against the government, not favours from it.
Required: obey the law, pay taxes owed, serve on a jury if called, register where requiredLegally compelled, and an examination asks which these are.
Expected: vote, stay informed, take part in the community, respect others' rightsNot compelled, and a democracy works badly without them.
A right is only real if it is also held by people you disagree withThe hardest sentence in civics and the one worth saying.
Your turn
Name the duty a citizen may be legally called to perform in a courtroom.
Serving on a is a legal duty when called
Solve one, graded on the server
The trap
Listing voting as a legal requirement. In most places it is expected rather than compelled, and the difference between the two lists is precisely what is examined.