Civil liberties are rights guaranteed to citizens in the Constitution that the government cannot interfere with, however, in the name of national security, they do. The government sometimes finds it necessary for Americans to give up some of their basic rights to keep the nation protected, but many people find this unnecessary. A law-abiding citizen’s extremely personal information should not be essential to finding terroristic threats within this society. Under no circumstances should an American citizen’s civil liberties be violated in a time of war or crisis, because those are assured rights that are most valuable to their freedom during national conflicts.
The government is stealing bits of the people 's power in order to increase theirs,
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The Alien and Sedition Acts are perfect examples of being beneficial, because they were some of the government’s first “power grabs”, and this then made Americans truly stay aware of what decision their representatives made. On the other hand, the internment of Japanese during World War II ultimately had the opposite result. Today, those decisions made back then are embarrassments to all citizens, but some forms of it currently exist. For instance, the 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate, Donald Trump, has contemplated a plan involving the ban of Muslims from the United States to prevent against deadly terrorist attacks. The responses received from the US. population about this policy are controversial and have been hot topics in the news ever since. Lastly, the fallout after 9/11 associating with the USA PATRIOT Act has brought Americans to become suspicious of their own government. They were completely unaware of the FBI’s database meant to spy on them and gather exceptionally personal information. The amount of focus people have placed upon their leaders has made the country more lawful and
Debates focus on violations of civil liberties. There are also questions about the appropriateness of the Act because it was passed and signed into law without extensive review. As the United States continues to experience terror threats and attacks, it is expected that the patriot act will continue to take effect. Civil liberties throughout American history have always expanded in peacetime and contracted during emergencies and wartime. During the Civil War, the two world wars, and the Cold War, Congress, and the president restricted civil liberties, and courts deferred.
Prior to the Patriot act a search warrant was needed, after the Patriot Act a search warrant is no longer required for agents to employ surveillance “…when looking into the full range of terrorism-related crimes,” (Dept. of Justice). The Patriot Act allows federal officials to gather information for suspected terrorist activity without needing to have evidence. In addition to this, Howard Ball observed that in the seventh title of the Patriot Act information is able to be shared between federal, state, and local law enforcement (52). Banks and Tauber analyzed federal district court decisions on cases regarding the Patriot act and they found, “[T]hey [district courts] are not inclined to protect civil rights and liberties during times of domestic or international conflict.” They continue to note that judicial ideology does not affect the outcomes of these cases, that civil-libertarian interest groups make a deferential decision less likely, and that if a more conservative Senate and president are in power a deferential decision is more
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated… We all know the fourth amendment. It's the amendment that guarantees our safety within our homes and our personal belongings. Yet, how much do you know about the fourth amendment? The fourth amendment is full of history, controversy, and discussion, even in modern day.
On September 11th, 2001, tragedy struck America. A terrorist attack was carried out resulting in 2,753 Americans killed. America became locked in a war, and it needed more security on its own soil. So, congress passed a law known as the Patriot Act. This allowed the N.S.A (national security agency) to gain information of individual citizens or groups of individuals by using library records, phone calls and other surveillance.
The personal liberties of Americans is what gives meaning to being an American. These liberties should be respected and upheld to the greatest efforts possible and should not be abridged by no means less than do process as exemplified by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the American Constitution. However, over time, we have learned about legislation that has been enacted by our government with said efforts to protect the nation. Hence, the Espionage and Sedition Acts, the confinement of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War, the Red Scare post-WWII, and the Pentagon Papers of 1971 are all examples that depict some of the behaviors performed by the federal government that would appear to infringe on these liberties.
The country's policies regarding individual privacy took a big hit following 9/11 due to the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act saw surveillance laws deplete as it gave the
The government needs to do its civil duty of protecting the American citizens by most any means necessary under good conscious and reasoning. The Patriot Act has already saved thousands of lives by simple things that will go unnoticed such as simple communication between branches of the FBI. While some may say this act is an invasion of privacy the majority of the population would choose life over a simple communication with a work colleague. If the government repeals the Patriot Act many innocent lives could be taken by terrorist attacks that could have been stopped by communication or gut feeling. Life is a precious thing that America deserves and will receive through the protection of The Patriot
The first amendment of the United States Constitution protects citizens’ rights to; freedom of the press, peaceful assembly, religious freedom, the right to petition the government, and the right to free speech. The Constitution itself asserts: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” Interpreting the first amendment has always been a subject for debate, and many citizens of the United States are unaware of what is actually protected by the first amendment, specifically in regards to freedom of speech. This lack
The First Amendment is the freedom of religion, speech, and the press. I feel like this amendment is most obvious one that we can’t change. We live in America where we are free to believe and say anything, so this one will never go away, I almost guarantee it. In this essay I will tell reasons why I think it is a great amendment. (Pros) Let’s start with the holocaust.
Freedom. The importance of freedom is often forgotten as Americans live day by day taking this gift for granted. In this day and age, freedom seems as a “simple gift’ obtained by every American, but one forgets to think about those who were once unable to enjoy the freedoms one is promised daily. Back in the day, freedom seemed as nothing more than a dream to those of color. Everyday of a colored person’s life consisted of harassment and discrimination as no one cared to treat them as equals.
U.S. & Missouri Constitution Take-Home Quiz: 40 points Declaration of Independence & U.S. Constitution: in your textbook, Missouri Constitution: http://www.sos.mo.gov/pubs/missouri_constitution.pdf Directions: Please type your response for short answer questions in bold in the space provided, and highlight your response for multiple choice questions. 1. According to the Declaration of Independence, a) governments are created to (1 point):
Over 2 million people are currently being held in United States prisons, and while the U.S. may only hold 5% of the world’s population, it houses 25% of its prisoners. In the past few years, America’s prison system has fallen under public scrutiny for it’s rising incarceration rate and poor statistics. Many Americans have recently taken notice of the country’s disproportionate prisoner ratio, realized it’s the worst on the planet, and called for the immediate reformation of the failing system. The war on drugs and racial profiling are some of the largest concerns, and many people, some ordinary citizens and others important government figures, are attempting to bring change to one of the country 's lowest aspects.
Freedom Anyone in the world with an occasional source of internet has no choice but to see the seemingly outrageous news stories, posted weekly on events in the US. American’s have made their distrust in the government more than obvious, which in many cases, the government has provoked. The largest debate in the states today is the with the concept of freedom and where the lines are drawn between social security, equality, and one’s rights. Freedom is and always has been heavily emphasized in the development of the 50 states. It’s brought peace and war both figuratively and literally.
The English Oxford dictionary defines freedom as “The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.” This definition is partially true while these are the qualities of freedom, we can only have these rights as long as we don’t interfere with another's freedom. So, what isn’t freedom? A quote from a journalist of the Daily Beast, P.J. O’Rourke, answers this pretty well.
Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is the freedom all people have, to express what they consider and express any opinions. It is an ability to express our opinions freely without being punished or censored. All people throughout the world are entitled and must have right to freedom of speech. However, how much do we know about freedom of speech: when did it occur? Does every countries have it?