Contents
- 1 Lesson 9.1 – Overview of civil liberties
- 2 READ – Reading 9.1 – “Civil Liberties and Basic Freedoms, Bill of Rights (First through Fourth Amendment)”
- 3 COMPLETE – Self-assessment Exercise 9.1
- 4 READ – Reading 9.2 – Bill of Rights: The rights of suspects
- 5 COMPLETE – Self-Assessment Exercise 9.2
- 6 LESSON 9.2 – Case Study – The Bill of Rights during Wartime: The Patriot Act
- 7 READ – Reading 9.3 – P. Williams: “This Dangerous Patriot’s Game”
- 8 READ – Reading 9.4 – “The Patriot Act”: key controversies
- 9 Study Questions – To be handed in class
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.
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
Practice your understanding of the material from Reading 9.1 here:
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
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?
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
Study Questions – To be handed in class
DUE DATE: Monday, October 7, in class.
- Describe how you understand the “Establishment Clause” and the related “Lemon Test”.
- Is burning the US flag protected by the First Amendment? Explain by referring to the relevant court case discussed in the reading.
- What does it mean when someone says “I’m taking the Fifth”?
- P. Williams writes in her essay, that the war on terror is a new type of a war. What’s new about it, how is it different from traditional wars?
- In what ways does the “Roving Wiretaps” of the Patriot Act seem to violate the Bill of Rights? Which amendment(s) does it seem to violate and why?
- What about “Sneek and Peek” Warrants?
