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Challenges of civil liberties in the us throughout the twentieth and twenty first centuries
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American Civil Liberties: Do Americans have enough protections for Civil Liberties, or not? In a world where terrorism, war, and economic instability are ever looming threats it’s not a wonder why the limits on the freedom of the individual can come into question. This is especially true when the country where these limits are brought into question is one of the world’s leading powers in: democracy, economics, social welfare, military force, and foreign politics in general. This country, of course, is the United States. Unfortunately, even with the country’s democratically centered government, there is still a debate on whether Americans have enough protections for civil liberties or not. A few key areas of argument on civil liberties and hopefully provide enough information to the reader so that he/she may deduce an educated opinion as to whether Americans have enough protection for civil liberties or not. In order to fully understand what constitutes as a civil liberty the definition of a civil liberty must first be established. A civil liberty is defined as “Those rights, such as freedom of speech and religion, that are so fundamental that they are outside the authority of government to regulate” ( Schiller, Geer, & Segal, 2013). Essentially meaning that a civil liberty is a basic human right that not even government should be able to interfere with it. Quick examples of these rights are freedom of speech, press, religion,etc. Typically the most basic civil liberties are found in a country’s bill of rights and then that country passes amendments as needed in order to grow the peoples’ civil liberties, or shrink them if need be. Now, in the case of the United States the people are not “granted“ civil liberties by the... ... middle of paper ... ... years have gained protections others have lost them, meaning that without a level of biasness it cannot be determined whether Americans need more protections for civil liberties, or less. References Cole, D., & Dempsey, J. X. (2006). Terrorism and the constitution: sacrificing civil liberties in the name of national security. New York: New Press. Friedman, L. S. (2010). What Is the State of Civil Liberties in the United States?. Civil liberties (pp. 11-49). Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Schiller, W. J., Geer, J. G., & Segal, J. A. (2013). Gateways to democracy: introduction to American government, the essentials. (2nd ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth ;. Wagner, F. D. (2010). McDonald et al. v. City of Chicago, Illinois, et al.. Supreme Court of the United States, 1, 1-214. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1521.pdf
Civil liberties can be defined as the basic rights and freedoms of an individual granted to citizens in the United States and the entire world through the national common law or the statute law. The liberties include freedom of association, speech, movement, religious worship, and that from arbitrary arrest. The liberties get to form the roots of democracy in society. In a dictatorial administration, the citizens are denied the rights and freedoms. However, liberties can be described as universal rights and freedoms.
From the opening sentence of the essay, “We are free to be you, me, stupid, and dead”, Roger Rosenblatt hones in on a very potent and controversial topic. He notes the fundamental truth that although humans will regularly shield themselves with the omnipresent first amendment, seldom do we enjoy having the privilege we so readily abuse be used against us.
...tee against arbitrary and malicious persecution of individuals by the state; by weakening those protections, the government has opened the doors to new encroachments on the liberties that all residents of the United States rightfully enjoy.
Whether it is acceptable for the government to restrict any of our civil liberties during times of war, is of great concern and consideration. This essay argues that sacrificing some civil liberties occasionally to keep peace, defend our nation, and silence opposition, is reasonable. Our nation has already been through times where civil liberties have been muted in order to maintain their governmental influence. With the help of outside sources, the argument for limitation of civil liberties is made compelling and engaging.
Are our civil liberties routinely violated? Do civil liberties exist the way they used to? Are they restricted to suit the governments needs
Works Cited Hudson, William E. American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America’s Future – Fourth Edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2004. Landy, Marc and Sidney M. Milkis. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights.
Throughout American history, our civil liberties as American citizens have evolved immensely. For example, the first ten amendments in the U.S. Constitution are referred to as the “The Bill of Rights,” which contains some of the most cherished civil liberties, such as freedom of speech and religion. These civil liberties however, did not originally apply to state governments or institutions the state established. The Bill of Rights focused solely on what the national government could not do, allowing state governments to do whatever they wanted. For example, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire supported Congregationalist ministers with tax payer dollars for decades. After the Civil War, civil liberties expanded, because three new amendments were added: the Thirteenth, abolishing slavery, the Fourteenth, which redefined civil liberties and rights, and the Fifteenth, which allowed adult, male citizens to vote. The due process clause (contained in the Fourteenth Amendment) became one of the most important civil liberties, because it applied the language of the Fifth Amendment to state governments, proclaiming that they could not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law....
Schultz, David, and John R. Vile. The Encyclopedia of Civil Liberties in America. 710-712. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale Virtual Reference Library, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .
Jackson, Kevin, and Eric Johnson. "McDonald v. Chicago (08-1521)." Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
For more than 100 years after the sanction of the Constitution, the First Amendment secured these flexibilities just in principle. As people in the twentieth century have tested the administration in the courts when they trusted their rights were ambushed, the First Amendment has tackled a more grounded significance. It remains the absolute most effective instrument for securing the holy flexibilities of religion, discourse, press, get together, and request for cutting edge Americans.
American civil liberties come straight from the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These are very important because they are rights that are guaranteed to every citizen in the US, but sometimes, not all of them are granted to everyone. Civil Liberties are still to this day an issue in the US because of the lack of freedom of speech, racial equality, and women’s rights.
In simple terms, civil liberties mean the basic freedoms all people are guaranteed by law. Whether it be stated in laws and constitutions or interpreted through the years by lawmakers, civil freedoms are those powers that people in society may exercise under civil law. Furthermore, civil liberties provide individuals limited protection from the government. However, some may argue that national security from the government gets in the way of civil liberties at times. Examples of this in the United States would be the Patriot Act or in broader terms, the NSA. Whether sacrificing our civil liberties are means necessary in order to keep us safe, is a question many people have discussed throughout history. In my opinion, I strongly feel some civil liberties need to be hindered or restrained in order to keep people in America safe.
With respect to civil liberties, consider mass surveillance of people when they are thinking, reading, and communicating with others in order to make up their minds about political and social issues. Such mass surveillance is especially dangerous because it can cause people not to experiment with new, controversial, or unusual ideas. I believe there are some reasons that freedom of expression is essential to a free society. Comparatively, freedom of expression is the foundation of self-fulfillment. The right to express one’s thought and to communicate freely with others encourages the dignity and worth of each and every member of society, and allows each individual to realize his or her full human potential. Thus, freedom of expression is an end in itself, and as such, deserves society’s greatest protection.
Landy, Marc and Sidney M. Milkis. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
The list of civil liberties contains right to bodily integrity, the right to defend oneself, and the right to own property. More civil liberties are the right to equal treatment, the right to a fair trial the right to privacy, the right to due process, and the right to life. Still more civil liberties are freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the freedom from torture and death. Not to mention, the right to liberty and security, and freedom of conscience.[11]