Vocabulary

citizen: A resident of a country who owes allegiance to its government. In return, citizens are entitled to rights and protections from the government.

district: The specificgeographical areawithin a state represented by a House member. Congressional districts are drawn so that each has an average of about 650,000 citizens. States with small populations may have only one district — for example, Alaska — while a state like California , which has a larger population, has 53 districts.

Founders: The 18 th Century Americans who led the fight to freedom and founded our government are referred to as the “Founders” or “Founding Fathers.”

public policy: A decision, law, or otheraction of government that addresses problems and issues. Some policies are passed into laws, and some policies are contained in rules and regulations.

representative democracy: In a representative democracy citizens choose a small number of people to represent their interests, negotiate differences, and make laws on their behalf.

special interest groups: Organizations or associations which represent a specific industry or community of people. Examples are labor unions, retired persons, teachers, insurance agents, doctors, farmers, trial lawyers, or an ethnic or religious community. Corporations and specific industries may organize to protect their interests. Examples are automakers, tobacco growers, agribusinesses, or cable companies.

Teaching Suggestions

Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress: The Importance of Citizen Participation can be used to teach students in grades 7 through 12 about the relationship between Members of Congress and citizens. These commentaries can also be incorporated in lessons about representative democracy. Below are some ideas on how you can use Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress in your classroom. These suggestions span a range of subjects and skill levels, so not every idea will apply to your situation. Choose what works best for your students.

Citizen Participation in the Local Community

Have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Discuss the various ways people can participate in government. Make sure students understand the importance of being involved with the political process. Tell students that they will conduct a survey to find out how much people in the local community participate in government. As a class, develop a list of questions for the survey. Students may want to ask questions such as: Do you stay informed about public policy issues? If so, how? Have you ever written a letter or sent a letter to your representatives? If so, how often? How many times have you attended a town meeting? Do you volunteer in the community? Or: Do you vote in every election? Ask each student to ask 10 people in the community to fill out the survey perhaps by talking to family, friends, and neighbors or setting up a table in front of the local supermarket. Then have the class graph the results of the survey. You may want to have students submit the results of their survey to the school or local newspaper. You can also have students write an editorial to the newspaper explaining the importance of civic participation.

Individuals Who Have Influenced Public Policy

Have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Talk about the different ways people can become involved with government. Then have students learn about a specific individual who has been actively involved. Ask students to write a short biography about someone who has influenced public policy. You may want to have students write about someone in the local community. Students can interview family and neighbors or conduct research at the local library to identify the individual.

How Will You Participate in Government?

Ask students to read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Discuss the importance of civic participation. Then have students create a list of ways they can participate in government. Write this list on a chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead transparency. Tell students to choose the three activities they are most likely to participate in. Have students explain why they are more likely to participate in those activities than others.

Encouraging Others to Participate

Have students read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Talk about the importance of citizen participation in a representative democracy. Then ask students to identify some ways citizens can participate in government. Tell students to create a poster that encourages people to become involved with government and describes some ways citizens can participate. Ask for permission to display these posters at the local library, the post office, or a local grocery store.

Citizen Participation in a Representative Democracy

Ask students to read Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress. Discuss why citizen participation is important in a representative democracy. Have students write a paper that describes what would happen to the U.S. government if citizens stopped interacting with elected officials.

Standards

You can address many state standards when you incorporate Lee Hamilton’s Comments on Congress into lessons. Please select your state to view the corresponding standards.

Please select your state to view the corresponding standards:

Lesson Plan Feedback

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