Question
Petitions Send a Message
Civics and Government: 1st Amendment
Sydney Helfand knew she had to do something. The high school student loved animals. However, a bill to protect them from cruelty was stuck in Congress. So what did she do? She started a petition. More than 850,000 people signed it. Thanks to Helfand's petition, lawmakers saw that protecting animals was important to a lot of people. So, they voted to make it a law. Helfand even got to be there when it passed.
"When the people demand action, politicians act," Helfand said.
Helfand used her right to petition to help bring about the change she wanted. This right is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Among other things, it guarantees that Americans can "petition the Government." In other words, Americans have the right to tell the U.S. government to do something to solve a problem.
How Petitions Work
A petition is a written request to call for change or support a cause. People sign it to show they agree with the writer's ideas. Petitions are usually aimed at people with the power to fix the problem. For example, Helfand sent her petition to lawmakers in Congress.
Some petitions aren't directed at government. People may use them to ask for changes in their community. In one case, a pizza fan penned a funny petition to a restaurant chain. It persuaded the business to bring back the fan's favorite pizza crust.
Whether the issue is serious or silly, a petition explains the writer's position. It also asks for action. For example, a 10-year-old environmentalist petitioned Disney® to stop using plastic straws. The petition received almost 35,000 signatures. Disney agreed to make the change. It banned plastic straws in its parks and hotels.
Petitions of the Past and Present
When it comes to petitions, though, change doesn't always happen quickly. But even petitions that don't get what they want right away can lead to change. They may inform people and gain their support.
For example, American women won the right to vote in 1920. But it took more than 50 years of fighting for that right before it happened. Petitions helped bring about change by winning more supporters for the cause.
Petitions have played a part in recent history, too. In 2020, one collected 19 million signatures. It wanted more done to protect the rights of Black Americans. The petition's author wasn't famous or powerful. She was a 15-year-old student activist.
No matter who starts them, petitions can lead to change. So, do you think something needs changing? Try signing a petition. Or even write your own!
Think about and discuss these questions:
What evidence from the article supports the idea that the way petitions are shared has changed over the years?
Do you think petitions are the best way to bring about change? Why or why not?
Question 5
5 / 8
The article states:
For example, American women won the right to vote in 1920. But it took more than 50 years of fighting for that right before it happened. Petitions helped bring about change by winning more supporters for the cause.
Why did the author include this passage?
To argue that petitions are a fast way to make big changes
To explain why women did not have voting rights
To explore how different groups gained voting rights
To show that petitions can take a long time to bring change
Civics and Government: 1st Amendment
Sydney Helfand knew she had to do something. The high school student loved animals. However, a bill to protect them from cruelty was stuck in Congress. So what did she do? She started a petition. More than 850,000 people signed it. Thanks to Helfand's petition, lawmakers saw that protecting animals was important to a lot of people. So, they voted to make it a law. Helfand even got to be there when it passed.
"When the people demand action, politicians act," Helfand said.
Helfand used her right to petition to help bring about the change she wanted. This right is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Among other things, it guarantees that Americans can "petition the Government." In other words, Americans have the right to tell the U.S. government to do something to solve a problem.
How Petitions Work
A petition is a written request to call for change or support a cause. People sign it to show they agree with the writer's ideas. Petitions are usually aimed at people with the power to fix the problem. For example, Helfand sent her petition to lawmakers in Congress.
Some petitions aren't directed at government. People may use them to ask for changes in their community. In one case, a pizza fan penned a funny petition to a restaurant chain. It persuaded the business to bring back the fan's favorite pizza crust.
Whether the issue is serious or silly, a petition explains the writer's position. It also asks for action. For example, a 10-year-old environmentalist petitioned Disney® to stop using plastic straws. The petition received almost 35,000 signatures. Disney agreed to make the change. It banned plastic straws in its parks and hotels.
Petitions of the Past and Present
When it comes to petitions, though, change doesn't always happen quickly. But even petitions that don't get what they want right away can lead to change. They may inform people and gain their support.
For example, American women won the right to vote in 1920. But it took more than 50 years of fighting for that right before it happened. Petitions helped bring about change by winning more supporters for the cause.
Petitions have played a part in recent history, too. In 2020, one collected 19 million signatures. It wanted more done to protect the rights of Black Americans. The petition's author wasn't famous or powerful. She was a 15-year-old student activist.
No matter who starts them, petitions can lead to change. So, do you think something needs changing? Try signing a petition. Or even write your own!
Think about and discuss these questions:
What evidence from the article supports the idea that the way petitions are shared has changed over the years?
Do you think petitions are the best way to bring about change? Why or why not?
Question 5
5 / 8
The article states:
For example, American women won the right to vote in 1920. But it took more than 50 years of fighting for that right before it happened. Petitions helped bring about change by winning more supporters for the cause.
Why did the author include this passage?
To argue that petitions are a fast way to make big changes
To explain why women did not have voting rights
To explore how different groups gained voting rights
To show that petitions can take a long time to bring change
Answers
GPT-5 mini
To show that petitions can take a long time to bring change.
The passage notes it took more than 50 years of fighting and says petitions helped by winning more supporters, which supports the idea that petitions can lead to change but often over a long period.
The passage notes it took more than 50 years of fighting and says petitions helped by winning more supporters, which supports the idea that petitions can lead to change but often over a long period.