Activity One:
The Freedom Balance
For lecture: In any government, there has always been a delicate balance
between liberties and security. In the United States, liberties are
those rights that are protected by the Bill of Rights as well as the
more general liberty to live our lives how we want. But we can't always
do whatever we want. For example, I may get really angry and want to
hit someone, but if everyone were allowed to hit each other when they
got mad, no one would feel safe. This is part of the reason why we have
laws against hurting other people. When we feel safe, we also feel freer
to live our lives and do things like ride the bus, go to the playground,
or take a walk. But at the same time, if we have too many laws for safety,
we start to lose liberty. For example, if the government can know everything
about our lives to make sure everyone is behaving well, we lose some
of our right to live our lives privately.
Pass out the Freedom Balance Worksheet. Have the students work either
individually or in small groups to try and categorize the words given.
The purpose of this exercise is to get the students to realize that
the line between liberty and security isn't always clear and that liberty
and security are largely dependent on one another.
After they have completed the exercise, ask the students these questions:
1. Take a poll: How many of you had trouble deciding which words belonged
in the categories? Which ones were hardest to categorize?
2. Why did you have difficulty deciding?
3. Looking at how you categorized the words, do you see any relationship
between liberty and security? How are they similar? How are they different?
4. What do you think is more important in a democracy, liberty or
security? Why?
THE FREEDOM BALANCE
Look at the phrases and words below and decide if they represent liberty,
security, or both. For liberty, circle the word. For security, put a
box around the word. If it is both liberty and security, underline.
Have a reason to support your answer.
- DUE PROCESS
- SEARCH WARRANT
- WAR
- ID CARDS
- CENSORSHIP
- DEMOCRACY
- SAFETY FROM HARM
- DEFENSE
- PROTESTS
- GOVERNMENT
- SPYING
- TERRORISM
- FREE SPEECH
- JULY 4, 1776
- CONSTITUTION
- LAWS
- FBI
- EQUALITY
- POWER
The Patriot Act
Congress passed the USA Patriot Act in 2001 after the attacks on the
World Trade Center in 2001. This group of new laws was meant to give
law enforcement (FBI, CIA, Police, Military) new ways to find out more
information about people and capture people they think might be dangerous.
But some of these new laws affect our due process rights too.
For example, in furtherance of the "War on Terror," the Bush administration
has labeled some individuals as "enemy combatants." These individuals
are alleged to be involved in or to have supported terrorist activities.
Enemy combatants can be held indefinitely without charge and without
the right to an attorney.
Under international humanitarian law (the laws of war), a criminal
suspect cannot be labeled as an enemy combatant except where there has
been direct participation in or connection to an international armed
conflict. The ACLU among other groups has attacked the administration's
use of the "enemy combatant" classification as violating the US Constitution's
guarantees to speedy trial, to be formally charged, due process, attorneys
in criminal proceedings, etc.
Activity Two: The USA Patriot Act and the Constitution
Pass out to students the pack of rights cards. Each card represents
a different due process right or other liberty guaranteed by the Constitution
to both citizens and immigrants.
Choose one half of the class. Tell them they are the immigrant group.
The other group will be the U.S. citizens.
Read the provisions of the Patriot Act. For each provision, either
the immigrant group or both the immigrant and citizen group will have
to give up a card. When an immigrant loses a right, he or she should
pass the card to a citizen. When both lose rights, they should turn
the card face down.
Patriot Act scenarios to read:
1. All non-citizen males of Middle-Eastern descent must report to
the Immigration and Naturalization Service to "register." Once there,
many are detained and held in jails without notice for questioning regarding
terrorist activities.
2. Individuals who are named "enemy combatants" by the president are
held without being charged with a crime and without access to a lawyer,
and are given non-public hearings by military tribunals.
3. The FBI is given permission to search the records of libraries,
bookstores, internet coffee houses, etc. for Internet search records
and book purchase/check-out records without informing you first.
4. Government officials listen in on conversations between jailed
immigrants who are terrorist suspects and their lawyers.
5. Immigrants who associate with certain religious organizations,
charities, and churches are subject to investigation merely because
they are members or are acquaintances with members of those organizations.
For example, Rashid, a 15 year-old boy, is a member of the local Muslim
Youth Group. The Youth Group is affiliated with the local mosque. A
cleric with the local mosque is critical of the US government, and states
in a speech that he understands why the World Trade Center was bombed.
As a result, the government investigates the cleric and everyone who
is associated with the mosque as member or employee, including Rashid.
Follow-up Questions:
1. How did you feel when you had to give up the cards? Did you feel
it was right? Why or why not?
2. The Patriot Act was passed right after 9/11/2001 when terrorists
hijacked three planes and destroyed the World Trade Center and severely
damaged the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Do you think the government
is acting reasonably by putting these new rules in place? Do you see
any problems with the rules?
Have the students do a secret vote for this question
3. Do you think it's okay for the FBI to interview Arab-Amercians just
based on their race? For example, do you think it's fair for the government
to pull people out of line at the airport and question them because
they are Arab? Write down your answer and why you answered that way
on a piece of paper and pass it to the teacher to read aloud anonymously.
Get reactions from the class about what the students wrote. Why do they
agree or disagree?
Extension Activity
1. For those students that want to, have them write a letter to their
local representative saying why they agree or disagree with some or
all of the Patriot Act.
FREEDOM CARDS
| The government must charge you with a crime to hold you in jail |
Right to a public trial by jury |
Right to privacy when you are on the phone or using the Internet |
| Right to be notified when the police are going to search your
property |
Right to be free from criminal investigation unless there is a
good cause for it |
Right to appeal a guilty verdict |
| Right to privacy between lawyer and client being held in jail
|
Police must have a reason to interview you other than your race
or national origin |
Right to join a certain kind of activist group without being monitored |
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