Start Free Trial
×

KEY IDEAS · COLLECTION 3

Citizenship

Good government requires good citizenship.

Explore Waypoints
Start Free Trial

Citizenship

Good government requires good citizenship.

Citizenship

Key Idea · Essay 3 American History ≈ 2 min read
Good citizenship requires self-restraint, self-assertion, self-reliance, and civic knowledge.

Good government and a free, prosperous society are impossible without citizens who take care of themselves and keep their government in check. In short, good government requires good citizenship.

Four basic civic virtues form the core of good citizenship:

Self-Restraint

Governing oneself by restraining one’s temper, appetites, and temptations to violate the rights of others.

Self-Assertion

A good citizen should be willing to defend his own individual rights, protect those he loves and his property, and resist unjust violations of liberty. Think of the spirited assertiveness represented by the Gadsden Flag and its famous motto: Don’t Tread on Me!

Self-assertion also requires citizens to challenge those in government when they exercise powers We The People never granted to them through the Constitution. Good citizens hold those in government accountable.

Self-Reliance

A good citizen should be productive and capable of taking responsibility for himself and his family.

Self-reliance does not mean complete self-sufficiency or living without the help and cooperation of others. It means being capable of supporting oneself through productive activity rather than depending upon government to provide the necessities of ordinary life.

Citizens who are self-reliant are well-positioned to hold their government accountable; citizens who depend heavily upon government assistance are less so.

Civic Knowledge

A good citizen should understand his individual rights and personal responsibilities, the proper purpose of government, the constitutional powers We The People have granted to government, and the limits placed upon those powers.

Why Citizenship Matters

Constitutional self-government cannot be sustained by constitutional structures alone. A free republic requires citizens capable of governing themselves personally, defending their liberty, taking responsibility for their own lives, and understanding the government they have created.

Waypoints at a Glance

Primary Sources
0
Key Ideas
0
Tutorials
0
Schools
0

Waypoints is a serious civic learning platform. It helps you study and teach America’s essential documents—and the ideas behind them.

The Waypoints Library includes beautifully published primary-source documents accompanied by written and video tutorials. Together, these materials help teachers, parents, students, and lifelong learners explore American history, political philosophy, economics, liberty, and the challenge of self-government.

No. Waypoints is supplemental by design.

Waypoints is not meant to replace an existing history, civics, government, economics, or humanities curriculum. It is designed to strengthen the curriculum you already use by helping teachers, parents, and students study essential primary sources more deeply.

Not exactly. Waypoints is not a warehouse of ready-made daily lesson plans. Waypoints is a primary-source teaching and learning resource designed to help teachers understand essential documents and bring them into the classroom with confidence. Many tutorials include discussion questions, writing assignments, and classroom activities, but Waypoints begins with the documents themselves.

Waypoints is for teachers, school and district resource recommenders, homeschooling parents, lifelong learners, and anyone who wants to study America’s essential documents and the ideas behind them.

It is especially useful for those who want to understand liberty, constitutional self-government, and the moral and civic principles that shape the American experiment.

The Free Trial gives you access to selected Waypoints materials so you can see how the platform works before choosing a plan.

You can explore selected primary-source documents from the Waypoints Library, along with related written and video tutorials. It is the best way to see how Waypoints helps users study and teach primary sources with greater confidence.

Choose the Home Plan if you are a homeschooling family, parent, individual learner, or small household seeking access to Waypoints.

Choose the Academy Plan if you want access for a school, academy, department, or group of educators and students.

Choose a Custom Plan if you represent a district, charter network, larger organization, homeschool co-op, civic group, or special program with needs beyond the standard plans.

If you are not sure where to begin, start with the Free Trial.

Add Your Heading Text Here

Add Your Heading Text Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.