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Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm SteveEmber.

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And I'm Faith Lapidus. Our subject this week is civics in theUnited States.

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Civics is a subject that deals with the rights and duties ofcitizens. It brings together law, history and political science.

In the nineteen sixties, a non-profit group called the Center forCivic Education got started. Its job is to help people in the UnitedStates and other countries learn about the ideas of democracy. Itswork includes an international civic education exchange program,Civitas.

In nineteen ninety-four, the Center for Civic Education developedfive questions for teaching about civics and government. We will usethese questions to guide our program. The answers will combine ourown reporting with information from the center.

Question one: "What are civic life, politics and government?"

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The simple answer is that people have their personal life, butthey also have a civic life. This involves issues that affect theircommunity and their nation.

Politics is a process. It is a way for people with opposinginterests and beliefs about issues to reach decisions.

Government is the organization in society with the power to putthese decisions into effect. It also has the power to enforce them.

In the United States, theConstitution limits the power of government. The founders of thenation wanted to protect individual rights. At the same time,however, they also wanted to work for the common good.

Under the Constitution, government officials must follow the ruleof law. This means they must follow the same rules as everyone else.The Constitution is the highest law in the land.

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Constitutions are also vehicles for change. One example involvesthe Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. TheFourteenth Amendment took effect in eighteen sixty-eight, after theCivil War.

It guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law. Itmeant that former slaves had the same rights as other Americans.Black Americans used this amendment to seek better treatment duringthe civil rights movement of the nineteen fifties and sixties.

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The second question presented by the Center for Civic Educationasks: "What are the foundations of the American political system?"

The system is built on the Constitution, which guarantees theright to life, liberty and property. The Constitution alsoestablishes a system of checks and balances on government power.

Congress passes bills for the president to sign into law. If thepresident refuses, Congress has the power to reject the veto. TheSupreme Court has the power to strike down laws if it finds theyviolate the Constitution.

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The Constitution also recognizes the powers of the states. Infact, the American political system is built on the idea that stateshave any powers not given to the federal government. The system wasalso built on the idea that the different groups in society wouldall share a common identity as Americans.

And several intellectual traditions have influenced the Americanpolitical system. One is classic liberalism. Classic liberalismrepresents the idea that governments are created by the people, forthe people.

This theory had its roots in Europe, through writers like JohnLocke. The American Declaration of Independence is an example of adocument that supports the main ideas of classic liberalism. Itguaranteed the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit ofhappiness."

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Another theory that influenced early America is classicrepublicanism. A republic is a state governed by electedrepresentatives instead of directly by the people. The United Statesis known as a constitutional representative democracy.

Classic republicanism links the idea of civic virtue to thecommon good. Civic virtue means that people put the interests ofsociety before their own.

But a belief in the public good may conflict with a desire forthe protection of individual rights. So classic republicanism andclassic liberalism can sometimes clash.

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Here is question number three from the Center for CivicEducation: "How does the government established by the Constitutionembody the purposes, values and principles of American democracy?"

There are many ideas behind American democracy, but one of themost important is federalism.

Early leaders wanted to create a government system that wouldprevent the misuse of power. So they created several levels ofgovernment. Power and responsibilities are divided among thenational, state and local governments.

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The federal government is organized into the legislative,executive and judicial branches. The legislative branch is Congress,made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The judicialbranch is the Supreme Court and the federal court system.

The executive branch is the president and the fifteencabinet-level agencies. The federal government also has about sixtyindependent agencies.

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State governments are established by state constitutions. Each ofthe fifty states has its own legislative, executive and judicialbranch. State and local governments provide police and fireprotection, education, public works and other services. To pay forservices, taxes are collected at all levels of government.

The American political system also provides citizens with theability to influence how laws are made. Some people become involvedin political or public interest groups. Others are civically activethrough groups such as unions or religious organizations.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and of the press.So the media also play a part in civic life and shaping publicopinion.

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"What is the relationship of the United States to other nationsand to world affairs?" This is the fourth question asked by theCenter for Civic Education.

At times, the United States has closed itself off from the world.At other times, it has been an active leader. National politics andthe guiding ideas of the Constitution have shaped and reshapedrelations. Disagreements over foreign policy have led to difficultperiods in American history.

The United States declared its independence from Britain on Julyfourth, seventeen seventy-six. Today, it is often called the lastremaining superpower, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Butmilitary strength is only one measure of power. Economic power alsoinfluences relations between countries. And the United States hasthe largest economy in the world.

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The final question asks: "What are the roles of citizens inAmerican democracy?"

In the words of the Center for Civic Education, "democraticcitizens are active." They must know what their personal, politicaland economic rights are. And they must know what responsibilitiescome with those rights.

The center says those responsibilities include voting inelections and giving time to community organizations. It saysanother responsibility is serving as a helpful critic of publicorganizations, officials and policies. But, above all, it sayspeople must see how democracy depends on knowledgeable citizens whocare about other citizens and their country.

This is what Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president, said ineighteen fifty-four: "If there is anything which it is the duty ofthe whole people to never entrust to any hands but their own, thatthing is the preservation and perpetuity of their own liberties andinstitutions." In other words, to keep democracy alive, citizensmust do it themselves.

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The Center for Civic Education organized its teachings aroundquestions because, in its words, "democracy is a discussion."Citizens exchange ideas. They search for new and better ways. Theuse of questions is meant to show that the process is never-ending.

The center provides materials to schools. It also trains teachersand organizes community programs. For more information, you canwrite to the Center for Civic Education at five-one-four-fiveDouglas Fir Road, Calabasas, California, nine-one-three-zero two,U-S-A.

Internet users can go to civiced.org. Civiced is spelledc-i-v-i-c-e-d. And the e-mail address is c-c-e at civiced.org.

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Our program was written by Jill Moss and produced by Caty Weaver.This is Steve Ember.

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And this is Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for THIS ISAMERICA, in VOA Special English.