D2.Civ.1.6-8: Powers and Responsibilities of Citizens, Parties, Interest Groups and the Media
In plain English: D2.Civ.1.6-8 is the C3 Framework civics indicator for grades 6-8 that asks students to distinguish the powers and responsibilities of citizens, political parties, interest groups, and the media. Students sort what each one can do from what each one owes others, both in government settings such as a city council and in nongovernmental ones such as a club or league.
Distinguish the powers and responsibilities of citizens, political parties, interest groups, and the media in a variety of governmental and nongovernmental contexts.
C3 Framework for Social Studies (NCSS) · Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools · Discipline: Civics · Civic and Political Institutions · Official standard
Students learn to tell four civic actors apart by asking two questions about each one: what can it do (its powers), and what does it owe to others (its responsibilities)? The four actors are citizens, political parties, interest groups and the media. Students read a 1922 civics textbook on parties and the press, a 1787 letter by Thomas Jefferson about newspapers, and invented scenarios that put the same actors in two kinds of settings: a governmental context, where a public body such as a city council makes the decision, and a nongovernmental context, where a private group such as a club, league or business makes it.
The page stays neutral. The scenarios use invented towns and invented parties, and every question that asks students to take a side is scored on reasoning and evidence, not on the side chosen.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Define citizens, political parties, interest groups and the media as civic actors, and tell a party from an interest group
Distinguish a power (something an actor can do to shape a decision) from a responsibility (something it owes others) for each of the four actors
Identify whether a decision is made in a governmental or a nongovernmental context, and explain how the actors' powers change between the two
Support a claim about an actor's power or responsibility with a quotation from a primary source or a scenario
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Citing specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources RH.6-8.1
Telling a fact from an opinion in a short news text
Basic background: in the United States, voters elect local, state and national officials, and the First Amendment protects freedom of speech and of the press
"Your school is thinking about moving lunch 30 minutes later next year. Make a list of every person or group who could try to change that decision. Next to each one, write the tool they would use: a vote, a meeting, a letter, a story, a sign-up sheet. Is the decision made by a government, or by someone else?"
Collect answers on the board in a T-chart: who on the left, tool on the right. Then define two words. A power is something an actor is able to do to shape a decision, such as voting, organizing, raising money or publishing a story. A responsibility is something an actor owes to others while using that power, such as telling the truth, following the rules or respecting other people's rights. Point out that a public school is part of local government, so the lunch decision is made in a governmental context; a private sports league deciding its schedule would be a nongovernmental context.
Direct Instruction20 minutes
Part 1: Four actors. Introduce each actor with a definition and an example. Citizens are members of a political community; in a club or league, the matching role is a member. A political party is an organized group that runs candidates for public office and tries to win control of government. An interest group is an organized group that tries to influence decisions on issues it cares about, but does not run its own candidates; examples include unions, business groups, environmental groups and neighborhood associations. Interest groups often lobby: they meet with officials to ask for a decision. The media are the people and organizations that gather and share news and opinion with the public: newspapers, news sites, radio and television.
Powers and responsibilities of four civic actors
Actor
Examples of powers
Examples of responsibilities
Citizens
Vote, speak at public meetings, sign petitions, join groups, run for office
Stay informed, obey the law, respect others' rights, serve on juries when called
Political parties
Choose candidates, write platforms, raise money, register and turn out voters
Follow election and campaign-finance laws, report money raised and spent
Interest groups
Petition, meet with officials, testify, inform members, go to court
Give accurate information, follow lobbying rules, say whom they speak for
Media
Report news, investigate, publish opinion, decide what to cover
Check facts, correct errors, keep news apart from opinion
Part 2: Two kinds of context. Show Diagram 1. In a governmental context the final decision belongs to a public body, such as a city council, a school board or Congress, and the actors use public tools: elections, hearings, petitions to officials. In a nongovernmental context the decision belongs to a private body, such as a club board, a business or a religious congregation, and the same kinds of actors use that body's own rules. Club members vote under the club's bylaws (its written rules), a parents' group lobbies the club board, and a newsletter informs members.
Part 3: Read the sources. Read Source 1 aloud. Williamson wrote this high school textbook in 1922, when writers used "his" for any person, so "his election" means any candidate's. Gloss "adherents" (supporters), "caucus" (a meeting of party members to choose candidates) and "primary" (an election in which party voters choose the party's candidate). Then read Source 2 and Source 3. Explain that Jefferson wrote Source 3 from Paris in January 1787, as news arrived of farmers in western Massachusetts who, since the late summer of 1786, had been closing courts in protest over debts and taxes, an uprising now called Shays' Rebellion; the "tumults" are those protests.
1423. PARTY ORGANIZATION.--There is no constitutional basis or provision for American political parties, nevertheless each of the great parties has built up a powerful organization which coördinates party members in every part of the country. In practically every township, village, election district, and city ward there are party agents and local committees whose work it is to promote the interests of the party both at election time and between elections. The local party workers constitute a link between individual voters and the county or State committees, while these latter groups in turn connect with the national committee of the party.
2It is the work of all those officially connected with this centralized organization to win adherents to the party standard, to place issues before the voters, to stimulate interest in candidates, to organize meetings and clubs, to collect funds for party support, to secure the registration of voters, and to see that they get to the polls. Party opinion is formed by means of personal contacts, campaign literature, speeches, parades, and every manner of propaganda. Party opinion is formally expressed through the caucus, the primary, the convention, and the regular election. [...]
[...]
3Fortunately, recent legislation has remedied a considerable measure of the evils attending unrestricted contributions to the campaign fund. Laws now prohibit party agents from seeking contributions from the holders of Federal civil service offices. In 1910 and 1911 Congress passed Acts providing that a candidate for Representative to Congress may not expend more than $5000 toward his election, while a United States Senator may not spend more than $10,000 for a similar purpose. Other laws specify the purposes for which campaign money may be spent. In presidential and congressional elections the treasurer of the national committee of each party must now report the entire campaign fund contributed and expended, giving the name of every individual contributing over $1000, and also furnishing an itemized statement of all expenditures over $10. This report is filed with the clerk of the House of Representatives, and is open to the public.
Thames Ross Williamson, Problems in American Democracy, chapter XXXIV, "The Political Party," sections 423 and 426 (Source 1: what party organizations do; section 424-425 and the start of 426 left out, marked [...]) (1922). Public domain (published 1922). Source text.
1486. THE PRESS.--The press is the nervous system of the nation. Supplemented by other means of communication, and aided by agencies of transportation, the press coördinates individuals not physically contiguous, and thus enables them to act in concert. It lets everybody know what everybody else is thinking, or at least what they are supposed to be thinking. The forms of the printed page are infinitely various: daily papers, weeklies, monthlies, pamphlets, and books,--all of these are increasingly numerous. Statesmen, teachers, reformers, propagandists, and professional writers combine to turn out tons of printed matter a day. Pictures, jokes, contests, and stories are resorted to for the purpose of attracting attention. Editorials, advertisements, and news articles are among the vehicles of expression used. Printed matter does not wait for the individual to seek it out, but instead it goes to him. In various forms it encounters him in the street, stares at him from shop windows and billboards, forces itself upon his attention in the street cars, and knocks at the door of his private dwelling. In all its forms, it should be remembered, the dominant aim of the printed page is to influence the individual, to cause him to do something or to refrain from doing something.
2[...] There is a growing number of private organizations advocating social, economic, or political reforms. [...] Occupational and social groups are everywhere organizing, clarifying their opinions, and expressing common principles in the effort to influence the public mind. [...]
[...]
3[...] Especially ought the press and the school to be encouraged to give both sides of debatable questions. Every agency dealing with the issues of American life, indeed, ought to be careful not to distort those issues by suppressing or misusing facts. [...]
Thames Ross Williamson, Problems in American Democracy, chapter XXXVIII, "Public Opinion," sections 486, 487 and 490 (Source 2: the press and organized groups; cuts marked [...]) (1922). Public domain (published 1922). Source text.
The tumults in America I expected would have produced in Europe an unfavorable opinion of our political state. But it has not. On the contrary, the small effect of these tumults seems to have given more confidence in the firmness of our governments. The interposition of the people themselves on the side of government, has had a great effect on the opinion here. I am persuaded myself, that the good sense of the people will always be found to be the best army. They may be led astray for a moment, but will soon correct themselves. The people are the only censors of their governors; and even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their institution. To punish these errors too severely, would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty. The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people, is to give them full information of their affairs through the channel of the public papers, and to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people. The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide, whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean, that every man should receive those papers, and be capable of reading them. [...]
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Colonel Edward Carrington, Paris, January 16, 1787 (Source 3: the people, the newspapers and the government; the rest of the letter is left out, marked [...]) (1829). Public domain (published 1829). Source text.
Party power (Source 1, paragraph 2)
Which tasks does Williamson say a party organization carries out at election time?
Result: Williamson lists the work of party officials: "to win adherents to the party standard, to place issues before the voters, to stimulate interest in candidates, to organize meetings and clubs, to collect funds for party support" (Source 1, paragraph 2). These are powers: each one is something the party can do to help its candidates win. "Adherents" means supporters.
Party responsibility (Source 1, paragraph 3)
What did the laws of Williamson's day require of a party's national committee?
Result: The treasurer of each national committee "must now report the entire campaign fund contributed and expended," and the report "is open to the public" (Source 1, paragraph 3). This is a responsibility: the party owes voters an honest account of where its money comes from. Today the Federal Election Commission, created by Congress in the 1970s, collects these reports.
Media power and responsibility (Source 2, paragraphs 1 and 3)
How does Williamson describe what the press can do, and what it ought to do?
Result: Power: the press "lets everybody know what everybody else is thinking" and helps people far apart "to act in concert" (Source 2, paragraph 1). Responsibility: the press ought "to give both sides of debatable questions" and not distort issues "by suppressing or misusing facts" (Source 2, paragraph 3).
Citizens and the media (Source 3)
What does Jefferson say is the way to keep the people from turning to uprisings like the "tumults"?
Result: Jefferson says the way to prevent unrest is "to give them full information of their affairs through the channel of the public papers, and to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people" (Source 3). "Contrive" means to arrange. Citizens hold the power, because "The basis of our governments" is "the opinion of the people"; the papers carry the information that power depends on.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Pairs read Source 4, an invented scenario with two decisions. They make a four-row chart, one row per actor, with three columns: the actor's name in the scenario, one power it uses, and one responsibility it meets or should meet. They fill the chart once for the pickleball decision and once for the soccer club decision.
1Lakeview is an invented town. Its city council must decide whether to turn the cracked tennis courts at Rivera Park into pickleball courts. Under the city's rules, the council holds a public hearing before it votes, and any resident may speak for three minutes. The voters of Lakeview elect the councilmembers every four years.
2Two groups get organized. The Lakeview Pickleball Association collects 600 signatures on a petition, a written request signed by many people, asking for the pickleball courts. It brings three speakers to the hearing. The Rivera Park Neighbors, families who live near the park, write to every councilmember and ask the council to repair the tennis courts instead. The hearing rule says each speaker must state whether they speak for a group, and speakers from both groups do.
3Two council seats are on the ballot next year. The local committees of two invented parties, the Harbor Party and the Valley Party, each meet to choose a candidate and write a platform, a list of what the party promises to do. The Harbor Party platform promises "pickleball courts by next summer." The Valley Party platform says "fix what we already have." Both committees ask their members to help new voters register.
4The Lakeview Ledger, the town newspaper, reports on the hearing. Its first story says the petition had 6,000 signatures. The next day the Ledger prints a correction: the number was 600. On its opinion page, the Ledger's editors argue for the pickleball courts, and the same page prints a letter from a Rivera Park neighbor who argues against it.
5Across town, the Lakeview Youth Soccer Club, a private nonprofit club that families choose to join, must decide whether to raise its season fee from $60 to $75 to pay for new goals. The club's rules say the elected board proposes a fee and the members vote on it at the annual meeting, one vote per family. A group of parents called Fair Fees for Families asks the board to offer a lower fee for families with more than one player. The club newsletter, written by volunteers, prints the board's budget and the parents' letter before the vote.
6At the annual meeting, 84 families vote: 51 for the new fee and 33 against. The board also agrees to study the parents' idea before next season.
SVHS (invented scenario written for this page), Two Decisions in Lakeview (Source 4: an invented scenario for the guided practice). Original passage written for this page.
Teacher model for one row: For the media in the pickleball decision, the actor is the Lakeview Ledger. A power it uses is reporting on the hearing and arguing a position on its opinion page. A responsibility it meets is correcting its error about the signatures. Ask pairs to find the matching row for the soccer club, where the club newsletter is a small, private medium for members only.
Points to draw out: the Pickleball Association and the Rivera Park Neighbors want different outcomes but are both interest groups, because neither runs candidates. Only the voters can remove a councilmember, at the next election, while only the member families can approve the club fee. In the soccer club, the members play the part citizens play in town.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Students read Source 5 on their own and mark each actor with a letter: C for citizens or members, P for a party, I for an interest group, M for the media. They put a box around the body that makes each final decision. Then they answer the quiz, which uses Sources 1, 2, 3 and 5.
1Pine Hollow is an invented county. Its county commission, five commissioners elected by the county's voters, is deciding whether to end Bus Route 9 to save $240,000 a year. By law the commission must post its agenda a week before it meets, and it takes public comment before any vote.
2The Route 9 Riders, a group of bus riders and store owners along the route, meet with each commissioner and hand out a fact sheet with ridership counts. The group does not run anyone for office. The County Road Fund Coalition, another group, asks the commission to move the money to road repair.
3The Pine Hollow Press, an online news site, reports the commission's numbers and checks them against the county budget. Its news story quotes riders who want the route kept and drivers who want the roads fixed. A separate column, labeled Opinion, argues that the route should stay.
4Each of the county's two invented parties, the Ridge Party and the Creek Party, will run a candidate for the commission next fall. The Ridge Party's candidate says she will vote to keep Route 9. The Creek Party's candidate says he will hold public meetings first and then decide. Both parties set up voter-registration tables at the county fair.
5Meanwhile the Pine Hollow Swim Club, a private club owned by its 150 member families, is deciding whether to open its pool to non-members on Sundays. Its rules let the elected board decide after members have had two weeks to comment. Members post their views on the club's message board. The club newsletter reports the board's vote: 4 to 1 to open the pool on Sundays for a one-summer trial.
SVHS (invented scenario written for this page), Bus Route 9 and the Swim Club (Source 5: an invented scenario for the quiz). Original passage written for this page.
Closure5-10 minutes
Exit ticket: On an index card, choose one of the four actors. Write one power it has and one responsibility that comes with that power, then name one governmental and one nongovernmental setting where you could see it.
Teacher note on the sources: Sources 1-3 are quoted exactly as published, including older spellings such as "coördinates" and Jefferson's phrase "every man," which reflects his time, when women and many men could not vote. Williamson names the two major parties of 1922 only as history. Williamson groups the federal Acts of 1910 and 1911 together: the 1910 Act required parties to report their campaign money, and the 1911 amendments added the spending limits ($5000 and $10,000). Neither is today's rule. The parties in Sources 4-6 are invented so that no real party is praised or criticized.
Homework passage. Source 6, an invented scenario about a community garden, is used for the homework.
1Riverside is an invented city. Its community garden sits on land the city owns. The city parks department rents garden plots to residents for $30 a season, and the city council makes the rules for all city land. This spring the council will vote on whether to allow beehives in the garden.
2The Riverside Garden Association, a nonprofit group of the gardeners, has its own elected board and its own rules about what may be planted and how members share tools. Its members will vote at their spring meeting on whether to ask the council to allow beehives.
3A beekeepers' club offers to train gardeners for free and asks the council to vote yes. A parents' group from the school next door asks the council to wait until there is a plan for students who are allergic to bee stings. The Riverside Weekly, the local paper, reports both views and prints the time and place of the council meeting. One party's city committee adds the garden question to the list of issues its candidates will discuss in the fall campaign.
4At the spring meeting, 40 of the association's 52 members attend. 27 vote to ask the council to allow beehives inside a fenced area, and 13 vote no.
SVHS (invented scenario written for this page), The Riverside Community Garden (Source 6: an invented scenario for the homework). Original passage written for this page.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a four-color highlighter key (citizens, parties, interest groups, media) and have students color each actor in Sources 4 and 5 before filling the chart
Provide sentence frames: "The ___ has the power to ___." and "With that power, the ___ is responsible for ___."
Pre-teach six words with pictures or examples: petition, platform, candidate, nonprofit, correction, editorial
For Advanced Students
Read the rest of Williamson's section 426 (the first paragraph, left out of Source 1) and explain why lawmakers of his time began to require parties to report their money
Find one sentence in Source 3 where Jefferson describes a power of citizens and one where he describes a condition for using it well, and explain how they connect
Invent a third context, such as a business deciding store hours, and show which of the four actors would still have a role and which would not
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong work names the actor correctly, separates what the actor can do from what it owes, and says who makes the final decision in each setting. Watch for four errors: calling any organized group a party (a party runs candidates; an interest group does not); listing a responsibility, such as "check facts," as a power; treating a private club's board as if it were a government body; and claiming a source says something it does not, for example that Williamson approves of all party activity.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Card Sort: Power or Responsibility?
15 minPairs
Each pair gets 12 cards. Each card describes one action. Pairs sort the cards twice: first by actor (citizens, parties, interest groups, media), then by whether the action is a power or a responsibility.
The 12 Cards
Votes in a city council election
Reads about both sides of an issue before a vote
Chooses a candidate at a party meeting
Files a public report of campaign donations
Meets with a state senator to ask for a new law
Tells officials which members it speaks for
Publishes a story about a city budget
Prints a correction of a wrong number
Signs a petition asking the school board for a crosswalk
Writes a platform that lists promises to voters
Testifies at a hearing on a new park
Checks a quoted number against public records before printing it
Accept card 5 or card 11 for citizens too, if the pair explains that one resident can meet a senator or testify alone; ask what changes when a group sends the speaker.
Discussion Questions
Which actor has two responsibility cards? Why might the public expect more care from that actor?
Cards 5 and 3 both try to shape what government does. What is the difference between them?
Which cards would still make sense in a private club? Rewrite one so it fits a club.
2
Same Actors, Two Arenas
15-20 minGroups of 3-4
Groups compare the two decisions in Source 4 on a two-arena chart: one column for the pickleball courts (governmental context), one for the soccer club (nongovernmental context).
Procedure
Draw a chart with five rows: Who decides?, Citizens or members, Parties, Interest groups, Media
Fill each cell with the scenario's actor and one power it uses, with the paragraph number
Mark any empty cell "no role here" and explain why
Write one sentence comparing the two columns
Answer Key for the Teacher
Who decides: the elected city council (paragraph 1); the club board proposes and the member families vote (paragraph 5)
Citizens or members: residents may speak at the hearing and voters elect the council; families vote on the fee, one vote each
Parties: the Harbor and Valley parties choose candidates and write platforms; no party role in the soccer club
Interest groups: the Pickleball Association and the Rivera Park Neighbors; Fair Fees for Families
Media: the Lakeview Ledger; the club newsletter
Sample comparison: parties compete for public offices, so they appear only in the governmental decision; the other three kinds of actors appear in both.
Discussion Questions
In paragraph 6, the fee passed by 51 to 33. What share of the voting families said yes? (51 of 84, a little more than 60 percent.)
Who can hold the club board responsible if members dislike the fee? Who can hold the city council responsible?
3
Mock Hearing: The Library Hours Question
15-20 minWhole class in roles
The class runs a short simulated public hearing on an invented question: should the invented town of Lakeview close its library on Mondays to keep it open later on weekdays? This is a classroom simulation; students do not contact real officials.
Roles
Five council members (they ask questions and vote at the end)
Residents speaking as individual citizens (two minutes each)
Two interest groups: the Library Families Group and the Downtown Business Association, each with one speaker who must say whom the group represents
Two party committees, invented, each writing one platform sentence on library hours
Three student reporters who write a 75-word news story and keep any opinion for a separate labeled column
Procedure
Give 5 minutes to prepare with role cards
Run the hearing with a timer, then hold the council vote
Reporters read their stories; the class checks each story for accuracy and for opinion mixed into news
Debrief Questions
Which roles had a vote, and which could only persuade?
Name one responsibility each role met or missed during the hearing.
Who could reverse the council's decision later, and how?
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
1 diagrams
Diagram 1: Four Civic Actors, Their Powers and Their Duties
Each column is one actor. The top rows show where its power comes from and one thing it can do; the third row shows one responsibility that comes with that power. The last row asks whether the actor also appears when a private group, such as a club or league, makes a decision. Parties exist to win public offices, so they rarely play a part in a private group's decision.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
D2.Civ.1.6-8 Homework: The Riverside Community Garden
Directions: Use Source 6 (the Riverside community garden, printed in the Closure phase) for every problem, and Sources 1-3 where a problem asks for them. Cite each source and paragraph you use.
Part 1: Powers and Responsibilities in Source 6 (Problems 1-3)
Source 6 describes one decision made in a governmental context and one made in a nongovernmental context. Name each decision, say who has the final say in each, and quote the words from Source 6 that show it.
Is the beekeepers' club a political party or an interest group? Explain using the difference between the two, and name one power the club uses in paragraph 3.
Name one power the Riverside Weekly uses in paragraph 3 and one responsibility it has while using it. Support the responsibility with a quotation from Source 2.
Part 2: Comparing the Actors (Problems 4-6)
In paragraph 4, did a majority of all 52 association members vote yes, or only a majority of those who attended? Show your arithmetic for both.
Compare the party committee in Source 6, paragraph 3, with what Williamson says party workers do in Source 1, paragraph 2. Give one similarity and one difference.
Write a paragraph of 100-150 words: Which actor in Source 6 has the most power over whether beehives are allowed, and what responsibility comes with that power? Use evidence from Source 6 and from one of Sources 1-3. Either answer can earn full credit if it is supported.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Actor
Names the actor correctly and tells a party from an interest group
Names the actor but mislabels its type
Actor missing or wrong
Power and Responsibility
Separates what the actor can do from what it owes, with one example of each
Gives one but not the other, or mixes them up
Neither given
Context
Says who decides and whether the setting is governmental or nongovernmental
Names the setting without saying who decides
Context missing
Evidence
Exact quotations with source and paragraph that prove the point
Evidence on the topic without a citation
No evidence
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 1-3 use Source 1 and Questions 4-5 use Source 2 (both in the Direct Instruction phase). Questions 6-7 use Source 3. Questions 8-17 and 20 use Source 5, printed in the Independent Practice phase, and Question 14 also uses Source 4. Questions 18 and 19 use Sources 1-3. Choose the best answer for each multiple-choice question; write one or two sentences for each short answer.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 1, paragraph 1, what does Williamson say about the legal basis of political parties?
Answer: B
Williamson writes, "There is no constitutional basis or provision for American political parties" (Source 1, paragraph 1). Parties built their own organizations. Choice A reverses the sentence; choices C and D describe rules the passage never mentions.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which item in Source 1, paragraph 2, describes a party using its power to bring more people into elections?
Answer: B
Registering voters adds people to the voting rolls, so it brings more people into elections. The other three are also party powers in the same list, but collecting funds (A), holding meetings (C) and winning supporters (D) do not by themselves add voters. A common mix-up is choosing D on the idea that every new supporter is a new voter; but "adherents" are supporters, who may already be registered and voting.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 1, paragraph 3, the law that prohibits "party agents from seeking contributions from the holders of Federal civil service offices" is best described as
Answer: C
The law tells party agents what they may not do while raising money: they may not ask federal civil service workers for contributions (Source 1, paragraph 3). It limits how the party uses its fund-raising power, so it is a responsibility the law places on the party. Choice A reads a limit as a power; choice B shifts it to the press, which the paragraph does not mention; choice D invents a limit on members.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Source 2, paragraph 1, what is "the dominant aim of the printed page"?
Answer: A
Williamson writes that "the dominant aim of the printed page is to influence the individual, to cause him to do something or to refrain from doing something" (Source 2, paragraph 1). Choice D is what he says the press ought to do in paragraph 3, a responsibility, not its aim. Choices B and C are not in the passage.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Source 2, paragraph 2, describes "occupational and social groups" that organize to "influence the public mind." In today's terms these are best called
Answer: D
Groups that organize around shared interests to influence opinion and decisions, without running candidates, are interest groups. They are not parties (A), because Williamson says nothing about nominating candidates; not media (B); and not government agencies (C), since he calls them "private organizations."
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 3, what does Jefferson mean when he calls the people "the only censors of their governors"?
Answer: B
A censor here is a judge of conduct: the people watch and judge their governors, and "even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their institution" (Source 3). Choices A and D use the modern meaning of "censor" (to block publication), which is the opposite of Jefferson's point about free newspapers. Choice C reverses his argument.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 3, why does Jefferson say it would be a mistake to punish the people's errors "too severely"?
Answer: A
Jefferson writes, "To punish these errors too severely, would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty" (Source 3): the people's watchfulness over government is what protects liberty. Choice C misreads the letter, which says the tumults gave Europeans "more confidence in the firmness of our governments." Choices B and D are not in the passage.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 5, which body makes the final decision about Bus Route 9?
Answer: D
Paragraph 1 says the county commission "is deciding whether to end Bus Route 9" and "takes public comment before any vote" (Source 5). The Riders (A) and the Press (B) try to influence the decision, and the Ridge Party (C) has only a candidate for a future election.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which detail in Source 5 shows most clearly that the Route 9 Riders are an interest group, not a political party?
Answer: C
The difference between the two kinds of groups is that a party runs candidates for office and an interest group does not. Paragraph 2 says "The group does not run anyone for office" (Source 5). Handing out facts (A) and meeting officials (B) are powers that parties could also use, and choice D describes who the members are, not what kind of group it is.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 5, paragraph 3, the Pine Hollow Press labels one column "Opinion." Which responsibility of the media does that label meet?
Answer: A
Labeling the column tells readers which part argues a view and which part reports news. Choice B is the opposite of a free press, and choices C and D are not duties of the media in the passage or in Source 2.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which decision in Source 5 is made in a nongovernmental context?
Answer: D
The Pine Hollow Swim Club is "a private club owned by its 150 member families," and its elected board makes the decision (Source 5, paragraph 5). The other three choices belong to the county commission, a government body.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 5, how do the swim club's members use their power?
Answer: B
The club's rules "let the elected board decide after members have had two weeks to comment," and "Members post their views on the club's message board" (Source 5, paragraph 5). Choice A describes the Lakeview soccer club in Source 4, not the swim club; choices C and D are not in the passage.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Source 5, the Ridge Party's candidate promises to vote to keep Route 9. Which party power from Source 1 does this best match?
Answer: A
A candidate's promise on a public question puts that issue in front of the voters, which matches "to place issues before the voters" (Source 1, paragraph 2). The voter-registration tables in Source 5 match D, but that is a different action from the candidate's promise. Choices B and C are not described in Source 5.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The Lakeview Ledger in Source 4 and the Pine Hollow Press in Source 5 both do which of the following?
Answer: C
The Ledger's editors argue on "its opinion page" (Source 4, paragraph 4), and the Press runs "a separate column, labeled Opinion" (Source 5, paragraph 3). Only the Ledger prints a correction (A); neither endorses a candidate (B); and both quote or print people on more than one side, so D is false.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Using Source 5, name one power and one responsibility of the Pine Hollow county commissioners, and quote the words that show each.
Model answer: Power: the commissioners decide "whether to end Bus Route 9" (paragraph 1), and the voters elect them. Responsibility: "By law the commission must post its agenda a week before it meets, and it takes public comment before any vote" (paragraph 1). Rubric: full credit for one power and one responsibility, each with an accurate quotation; partial credit for both without quotations or one with a quotation.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Source 5 names two interest groups that want different things. Name both, say what each wants, and explain why groups on opposite sides can both be acting responsibly.
Model answer: The Route 9 Riders want the route kept, and the County Road Fund Coalition wants the money moved "to road repair" (paragraph 2). Both can act responsibly because responsibility depends on how a group uses its power, for example giving accurate facts such as the Riders' "ridership counts," not on which side it takes. Rubric: full credit for both groups with their goals and an explanation that separates the method from the side; partial credit for naming the groups only.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Explain one way the power of members in the Pine Hollow Swim Club differs from the power of voters in Pine Hollow County. Use Source 5.
Model answer: County voters elect the five commissioners, so they can replace them at the next election (paragraph 1). Swim club members only comment for two weeks, and "the elected board" decides (paragraph 5); they belong to a private club with its own rules, so their power comes from the club's rules, not from public law. Rubric: full credit for a clear difference supported by both paragraphs; partial credit for a difference without evidence.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Source 1, paragraph 3, describes the limits that Acts of Congress passed in 1910 and 1911 set on what a candidate could spend. How many times larger was the limit for a senator than for a House candidate? Why might a responsibility like this be written into law instead of left to each party?
Model answer: The limit was $10,000 for a senator and $5000 for a House candidate, so it was 10,000 / 5,000 = 2 times larger. A responsibility written into law applies to every party equally and can be enforced, so no party gains an advantage by ignoring it. Rubric: full credit for the ratio 2 and a reason based on fairness or enforcement; partial credit for one of the two.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
Jefferson wrote Source 3 in 1787 and Williamson wrote Source 2 in 1922. Name one difference in how the two writers see the press, and quote each source.
Model answer: Jefferson trusts newspapers so much that, given the choice, he would "not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter," newspapers without a government (Source 3). Williamson is more cautious: the people who write printed matter include "propagandists," and the press "ought" to give both sides and not distort issues, which suggests it does not always do so (Source 2, paragraphs 1 and 3). Rubric: full credit for a real difference with a quotation from each source; partial credit for a difference with one quotation.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
The Pine Hollow Press and the swim club newsletter in Source 5 both inform people. Explain one difference in whom they inform and about what kind of decision.
Model answer: The Press is a public news site that reports a government decision to everyone in the county and checks the commission's numbers "against the county budget" (paragraph 3). The newsletter reports "the board's vote" (paragraph 5) to the member families of a private club, a nongovernmental decision that only members take part in. Rubric: full credit for a difference in audience and in the kind of decision, with evidence; partial credit for one of the two.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does D2.Civ.1.6-8 mean?
D2.Civ.1.6-8 asks middle school students to tell apart the powers and responsibilities of four civic actors: citizens, political parties, interest groups and the media. It is in Dimension 2 (civics) of the C3 Framework, in the group of indicators about civic and political institutions, and it asks students to look at these actors both in government decisions and in private ones.
What is the difference between a political party and an interest group?
A party runs candidates for public office; an interest group does not. Both organize people and try to shape what government does, but a party wants to win offices and control government, while an interest group works on particular issues, for example by lobbying (meeting with officials to ask for a decision), testifying or informing the public.
What does "nongovernmental context" mean in D2.Civ.1.6-8?
It means a setting where a private group, not a government, makes the decision. Examples are a club, a sports league, a business, a union or a religious congregation. Members vote under the group's own rules, smaller groups inside it push for what they want, and newsletters or local news inform people, so the same kinds of actors appear on a smaller scale.
What is the difference between a power and a responsibility?
A power is something an actor can do to shape a decision; a responsibility is something it owes others while doing it. Voting is a citizen's power and staying informed is a matching responsibility. Publishing a story is a newspaper's power and correcting its mistakes is a matching responsibility.
Why does this lesson use invented parties instead of real ones?
To keep the page neutral for families of every political view. Real parties appear only in the 1922 source, as history. The invented Harbor, Valley, Ridge and Creek parties let students practice the concept without praising or criticizing a real party or candidate.
Is the media part of the government?
No. In the United States, newspapers, news sites and broadcasters are mostly private, and the First Amendment protects the freedom of the press from government control. Some broadcasters receive public funds, but a free press still reports on the government rather than speaking for it. Students can see Jefferson's argument for this in Source 3.
Is D2.Civ.1.6-8 taught in grade 6, 7 or 8?
It can be taught in any of grades 6-8. The C3 Framework sets indicators for the 6-8 band, not for single grades, so schools place it in a grade 7 or 8 civics course, a U.S. history course, or a grade 6 social studies course.
How can students show they have mastered D2.Civ.1.6-8?
They name the actor correctly, separate a power from a responsibility, and say who makes the final decision. A strong answer to a new scenario does all three and supports each point with words from the text.
How does D2.Civ.1.6-8 connect to D2.Civ.1.9-12?
The high school version moves from actors to institutions. D2.Civ.1.9-12 asks students to distinguish the powers and responsibilities of local, state, tribal, national and international institutions, so the skill of separating what a body can do from what it owes carries forward to governments at different levels.
What mistakes do students often make with this indicator?
They often call every organized group a party, list a responsibility such as fact-checking as if it were a power, or treat a private club's board as a government. A quick check for each: does the group run candidates, is the action something the actor can do or something it owes, and is the decision maker public or private?
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to D2.Civ.1.6-8: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
RH.6-8.1Prerequisite
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
Standard text: National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (Silver Spring, MD: NCSS, 2013). NCSS was not involved in the production of this lesson and does not endorse it.
