The Patriot Act is Detrimental to the Rights of American Citizens

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Over two hundred years ago, the founding fathers of this great nation signed their names to the Declaration of Independence, sending a message to Great Britain that they were tired of being subservient to a monarch who had no respect for his people. These extraordinary men understood the concept of liberty and embraced it with great passion. They were all too familiar with the consequences of a government with excess power. In order to prevent America from returning to the ways of Great Britain, they crafted one of the greatest documents ever written, the Constitution of the United States of America. Contained in the Constitution is the Bill of Rights which details the rights the citizens of the United States of America are guaranteed. Unfortunately, during the past two hundred years, politicians seem to have lost focus on the principle of personal liberty. One of the most recent examples of this came with the passage of Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001. The USA PATRIOT Act is a crucial attack to the rights of American citizens and a disgrace to the men who fought for their freedoms in the Revolutionary War.

There is no doubt that the days following September 11, 2001 were some of the most terrifying in the nation’s history. The country had been attacked, new reports of anthrax on letters were surfacing daily and many feared another attack was just around the corner (“Surveillance”). Senator Russ Feingold, the sole opponent to the USA PATRIOT Act in the Senate, described the weeks following September 11 in his book, While America Sleeps (Hulse). He wrote that “The combination of constant security fears with the weightiness...

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...atriot Act Violates Civil Liberties Are Unfounded.” The

Patriot Act. Louise I. Gerdes. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2005. 93-94. Print.

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“The Constitution of the United States,” Amendment 1.

“The Constitution of the United States,” Amendment 4.

“The Constitution of the United States,” Amendment 5.

“UNITING AND STRENGTHENING AMERICA BY PROVIDING APPROPRIATE TOOLS

REQUIRED TO INTERCEPT AND OBSTRUCT TERRORISM (USA PATRIOT ACT)

ACT OF 2001.” PUB. L. 107-56. 115 STAT. 272. 26 October 2001. Web.

Webster, Michael. “Patriot Act Unconstitutional.” Renew America. 19 April 2009. Web.

21 February 2012.

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