Contents
- 1 Lesson 9.1 – Overview of civil liberties
- 2 WATCH – Lesson 9.1 Intro Video
- 3 READ – Reading 9.1 – “Civil Liberties and Basic Freedoms, Bill of Rights (First through Fourth Amendment)”
- 4 COMPLETE – Self-assessment Exercise 9.1
- 5 READ – Reading 9.2 – Bill of Rights: The rights of suspects
- 6 COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 9.2
- 7 WRITE – Discussion Board 9.1
- 8 LESSON 9.2 – Case Study – The Bill of Rights during Wartime: The Patriot Act
- 9 WATCH – Lesson 9.2 Intro Video
- 10 READ – Reading 9.3 – P. Williams: “This Dangerous Patriot’s Game”
- 11 READ – Reading 9.4 – “The Patriot Act”: key controversies
- 12 WRITE – Discussion Board 9.2
Lesson 9.1 – Overview of civil liberties
In this lesson we will learn about the concept of civil liberties and how it is incorporated in the Bill of Rights.
WATCH – Lesson 9.1 Intro Video
READ – Reading 9.1 – “Civil Liberties and Basic Freedoms, Bill of Rights (First through Fourth Amendment)”
Read the following textbook excerpt for a basic overview of civil liberties and what constitutes “basic freedoms” in US politics:
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/4-2-securing-basic-freedoms
COMPLETE – Self-assessment Exercise 9.1
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/4-review-questions
You can check your answers here:
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/chapter-4#fs-id1163758389607-solution
READ – Reading 9.2 – Bill of Rights: The rights of suspects
In this reading, we will learn about the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Amendments, related to the rights of suspects accused of crimes by the criminal justice system:
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/4-3-the-rights-of-suspects
COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 9.2
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/4-review-questions
You can check your answers here:
https://openstax.org/books/american-government-2e/pages/chapter-4#fs-id1163758389607-solution
WRITE – Discussion Board 9.1
Head over to Discussion Board 9.1
LESSON 9.2 – Case Study – The Bill of Rights during Wartime: The Patriot Act
In this lesson, we will study what happens to civil rights during wartime. We will focus on the Patriot Act, which is a controversial set of federal laws, widely expanding the powers of law enforcement, in cases related to terrorism. Does the Patriot Act violate the Bill of Rights, or does it stay within its limits?
WATCH – Lesson 9.2 Intro Video
READ – Reading 9.3 – P. Williams: “This Dangerous Patriot’s Game”
This article by Patricia Williams describes the “War on Terror” that the US government declared after the 9/11/01 attacks, as a “new type of war”:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/02/humanrights.usa
READ – Reading 9.4 – “The Patriot Act”: key controversies
This article gives an overview of the most important parts of the Patriot Act, designed to fight international terrorism in the US. As you study it, think about which amendments from the Bill of Rights is the Patriot Act seemingly violating, and why:
https://legacy.npr.org/news/specials/patriotact/patriotactdeal.html
WRITE – Discussion Board 9.2
Head over to Discussion Board 9.2
