Reflection

Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

Discussion Questions
1. The war changed American ideas on individual liberty and government power. It conveyed the nation's great power, convincing many that there was absolutely nothing America couldn't do, all as a result of its peoples' freedoms, its peoples' rights, an idea which led to the reformation of the Supreme Court's take on individual rights and civil liberties within the American nation.
2. During this time period, tensions between national security, national identity, free speech, and individual rights existed within the United States.  In the time period following the war, the Supreme Court, having six newly appointed justices, found itself moving in fits and starts in resolving such tensions and reevaluating its ideas for the benefit of the nation.
3. I believe she meant that the Supreme Court does not resolve issues which present themselves within the Anerican nation in one blow; instead, it gradually finds solutions for them, sometimes, having to go "back to the drawing board" in the process.

Relative Rights 
Our rights as American people are relative, not absolute, in that we can lose particular privileges as a consequence to our actions or in times that call for the nation to do so.  For example, in times of war, we do not have absolute freedom of speech; the revelation of militaristic information would be considered espionage, and so on.

3 Branches Review

Principal Lay

1. I believe that Christianity, or any other religion for that matter, should not be instituted in public domains, for, as a nation formed in pursuit of religious freedom, such an act would stagnate the progress our people have arduously labored to attain in that respect.

2. Pros & Cons of teaching Christianity in public schools:
    Pros - installment of morality
               structure
               extensive reading/study
    Cons - dissention
               offense to those who are "non-believers"
               violation of 1st Amendment rights (freedom from institution of religion)

Bill of Rights Scenarios

Scenario 1:  Amendment 4;
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,...
The police can not do anything until they convince a judge that they have probable cause, and then they can get a warrant which gives them permission to search.

Scenario 2:  Amendment 1;
Congress shall make no law abridging the right of the people peaceably to assemble,...

Scenario 3:  Amendment 5;
...; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
The government cannot take away someone's property without paying them for it in some way. If the state wanted to build a road right through someone's yard they can't just do it, they have to pay the person for it, or compensate them in some way.

Senario 4:  Amendment 1;
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;...

Scenario 5: Amendment 5;
..., nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;...
Due Process is the procedure which makes sure that everyone gets treated the same. No matter who someone is they should be treated fairly by the police, the courts, and the government. Many cases are dismissed because someone's due process rights are violated.
 

Articles Failure

     The Articles of Confederation comprised the first official U.S. constitution; however, they were short-lived, lasting from about 1776-1787.  Under them, the central, or federal, government was far too weak; it had no president, court system, ability to tax, military, or monetary system.  Nine of the thirteen states had to agree to pass a law, and all thirteen had to be in agreeance to make any amendents to the Articles.  In essence, the states were strong, independent nations possessing the ability to regulate their own respective affairs.  Some good did come out of the Articles, such as the passing of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which led to the much broader idea of Manifest Destiny; however, they proved to be a highly inefficient constition for the nation.  After Shay's Rebellion took place in Massachusetts, the Founding Fathers, along with other influencial men in the nation, saw the need for change, pulling together to develop the new and improved, present-day Constitution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqAOTMWF1xc 

Branches of Government

     The three branches of government often "point fingers" at each other when things go wrong in the nation.  They act as one federal body; yet, possess their own separate, individual powers.  I feel that this is entirely true; it is a sad fact that such federal establishments commonly find themselves behaving in an incredibly childish manner. 

6 Principles of Government

     This political cartoon portrays each of the three branches of government (the legislative, executive, and judicial branch) as separate, coequal, and independent from one another.  Power is divided among them, meaning no branch can ever exercise the respective power of another.  This limit of power is a key principle of government known as the "Separation of Powers."

 





     The political cartoon depicted above expresses the idea that government is created by and subject to the will of its people.  Its people are its only source of power, and it wields only the power that its people grant it.  Political power resides in the people and the people alone.  This principle of government is known as "Popular Sovereignty."