Why do rules matter to our lives?

Rules are patterns of behavior that a group agrees to enforce in some manner, with anything from disapproval to severe penalties. When those rules are adopted by government, they become laws that can be enforced with penalties of fines or even jail time. Rules and laws provide us with the ability to plan what we will do and how others will behave in response. Traffic laws are a good example. Driving on the right side of the road, obeying speed limits, requiring drivers licenses all make the highways safer. Not everyone will obey the laws all the time, but in most cases, drivers know what is expected of them and what they can expect from an oncoming vehicle.

Responsibility

A responsible citizen knows and understands what the laws are and obeys them. They may not always agree with them, but for the most part, agrees to follow what the established regulations are. However, civic responsibility goes beyond legal requirements. Responsible citizens look for ways to make their communities better places to live. They support their families and their communities. They volunteer for community projects.

While responsibility involves personal behavior, respect relates to the way we treat others. Respectful citizens allow others to express their opinions and tries to understand why they hold them. Respectful citizens acknowledge others contributions to the community. Sometimes respect means just leaving others alone. It acknowledges others' rights to live their own life in their own way when it is not harming anyone else.

In the United States, the authority to write laws is divided among different levels of government. Congress writes laws that apply to the entire nation that are essential to maintaining peace and order as citizens travel and do business around the country. The state and local governments write laws about matters closer to home. Many state laws are similar across the nation but they are enforced in state and local courts. Education is a good example of state authority. The state legislature establishes the system of Iowa public schools, writes rules on what they teach and how they are governed and authorizes taxes to support them.

Supporting Questions

What does it mean to be a responsible citizen?

• Boy Raking Leaves on a Front Lawn in Bradford, Vermont, October 1939 (Image)
• Lopez Children Doing Their Homework in Trampas, New Mexico, January 1943 (Image)
• Open Trash Cans Along a New York City Street, April 1943 (Image)
• Children Playing Soccer in Washington, D.C., October 1943 (Image)
• Woman Walking Across Crosswalk in Harlem, New York, 2008 (Image)
• Compost Pile, August 6, 2014 (Image)
• Truck Dumping Trash at a Landfill, Date Unknown (Image)

What does it mean to be a respectful citizen?

• Landscapes of Iowa, Various Dates (Images)
• Girl Scout Garden in Washington, D.C., between 1917 and 1919 (Image)
• Garbage in the Road in Brawley, California, June 1935 (Image)
• American Legion in Fourth of July Parade in Watertown, Wisconsin, July 4, 1941 (Image)
• First-Graders Saluting the Flag at a Public School in New York, October 1942 (Image)
• Recycle Poster, between 1970 and 1980 (Image)
• Girls Working Together at School, December 12, 2015 (Image)
• Newspaper Article about the Iowa Hawkeyes' Wave of Support, September 5, 2017 (Document)
• Community Garden in Pella, Iowa, July 2015 (Image)

How are rules and laws different in Iowa from other places?

• Boy Riding Bicycle with Dogs on Leashes, 1928 (Image)
• People Walking on a Dirt Road in Mozambique, March 14, 2010 (Image)
• Crosswalk in New York, 2012 (Image)
• Display from Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, Texas, September 5, 2014 (Image)
• View of a Car Passenger Wearing a Seat Belt, Date Unknown (Image)
• Infant Asleep in a Car Seat, Date Unknown (Image)