What makes a good citizen?

A good citizen, in the American constitutional tradition, is someone who knows their rights, fulfills their responsibilities, and participates actively in the life of their community and country. The Founders did not view citizenship as a passive status. They saw self-government as requiring engaged citizens who would educate themselves, vote thoughtfully, serve when called, and contribute to public life.

Specific markers of good citizenship include the legal duties: paying federal, state, and local taxes accurately and on time, registering for the Selective Service System within 30 days of one's eighteenth birthday for men aged 18 to 25, serving on juries when called, obeying the law, and supporting and defending the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Naturalized citizens take an oath that explicitly includes these commitments.

Beyond legal duties, good citizenship involves civic engagement. Voting in federal, state, and local elections is among the most important. Federal elections occur every two years, and local elections often happen on different schedules. Engaged citizens stay informed by reading news from multiple sources, learning about candidates and issues, and discussing public matters with neighbors and family. Volunteering with community groups, attending public meetings, and contacting elected officials are all forms of participation.

Good citizens also respect the rights and views of others, even when they disagree. Free speech, free press, and freedom of religion only function when citizens accept that other people are entitled to the same freedoms. Disagreement is not a failure of citizenship; intolerance, harassment, and political violence are.

Naturalized citizens have specific opportunities to be good citizens that recently arrived applicants will encounter. They can register to vote, serve on juries, run for almost any office except president and vice president, sponsor family members for immigration, get a U.S. passport, and travel under U.S. protection. They also retain the rights they exercised before naturalization, including freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly.

The Founders, looking at history, doubted that any constitutional system could survive without virtuous citizens. James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 55 in 1788 that there was a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust, but also that no theoretical checks would suffice without sufficient virtue.