- [Instructor] In the last video
we discussed personal rights,
all the rights that citizens
of the United States have
to control their own bodies and minds.
In this video, we're going to
talk about political rights,
which are the rights of citizens
to participate in the actions
associated with governance.
So, what are some of these rights?
First, there's freedom of association.
This means that you can
join a political party
or a special interest
group that represents you.
You're not obligated to
belong to a particular party
backed by the government,
and you can't be discriminated against
for belonging to a political organization.
There are the first amendment
rights to freedom of speech,
press, assembly, and petition.
This means that you can
share political ideas,
print political ideas, assemble
for political purposes,
like a conference or a protest march,
and ask the government to correct a wrong
without fear of punishment.
One of the most important political rights
is the right to vote.
Citizens may vote as they choose
according to the laws of their state.
There's also the right
to run for public office.
Anyone who meets the criteria
specified by the Constitution
and their state or municipality
may run for elected office
without government interference.
Now, you may be asking,
"Wait, what's the difference
"between political
rights and civil rights?"
Well, civil rights
overlap with these rights,
as well as with personal rights,
because civil rights protect people
who belong to marginalized
groups from discrimination.
So, if a society permits some
people to vote but not others,
based on their race, sex,
religion, or other characteristic,
that society is infringing
on the civil rights of those citizens
by denying them their political rights.
So, let's take a look at a few scenarios
to practice our understanding
of political rights.
I'll give you a scenario and
you see if you can identify
which political rate is
being exercised or violated.
First, Parvati's best friend, Natalie,
is running for city council.
She wants to show her support,
so, she checks Natalie's
name on the election ballot.
Which right did Parvati exercise?
If you said the right
to vote, you're correct.
All right, next up.
Peih-Gee posts on her social
media encouraging people
to vote for the Democratic
candidate for governor.
An admissions officer
at the public university Peih-Gee got into
is the brother of the
Republican candidate.
He rescinds Peih-Gee's offer of admission
based on her support for
the Democratic candidate.
Which political right did the
admissions officer violate
in this scenario?
This is a violation of Peih-Gee's right
to political freedom of speech.
Okay, last one.
Spencer has been an avid
hunter since he was a kid
and is interested in joining
the National Rifle Association.
His boss, Charles, doesn't like guns,
and doesn't want Spencer to join the NRA.
If Charles tries to prohibit
Spencer from joining the NRA,
which of Spencer's rights
would he be violating?
He would be violating Spencer's right
to freedom of association,
which means that he can join groups
without fear of reprisal.
Okay, that's all for now.
Which do you think is the
most important political right
that citizens have?
