Citizens Make Their Own Laws
"Citizens Make Their Own Laws" is a Grade 3 history lesson in Social Studies Alive! California's Communities (Chapter 4: Government and Citizenship) that explains how California citizens gained direct power to create and review laws. Students learn that Governor Hiram Johnson championed two tools: the initiative — which allows citizens to write their own proposed laws and put them to a statewide vote if enough people sign a petition — and the referendum, which lets voters decide whether to keep or repeal laws the government has already passed.
Key Concepts
A long time ago, some people in California felt that government leaders were not listening to them. A governor named Hiram Johnson wanted to give more power directly to the people.
He helped create a tool called the initiative . This lets citizens write their own laws. If enough people sign a paper to support the new law, then everyone in the state gets to vote on it.
Common Questions
Who was Hiram Johnson?
Hiram Johnson was a California governor in the early 1900s who believed government leaders were not listening to ordinary citizens. He worked to create tools giving people more direct power over their government.
What is an initiative?
An initiative is a process that lets citizens write their own proposed laws. If enough people sign a petition supporting it, the proposed law goes on the ballot for all state voters to decide.
What is a referendum?
A referendum lets voters decide whether to keep or cancel a law that the government has already made. It gives citizens a direct check on legislative decisions.
How is an initiative different from a referendum?
An initiative is citizen-created — people write a new law and gather signatures to get it on the ballot. A referendum reviews an existing law already passed by the legislature, asking voters to approve or reject it.
Why did California create the initiative and referendum?
These tools were created to give citizens more direct control over their government, especially when elected leaders seemed unresponsive to what the people wanted.
What grade covers the initiative and referendum?
This civics lesson is in Chapter 4: Government and Citizenship of Social Studies Alive! California's Communities, Grade 3.