argumentative writing for 5th grade

Directions: Print all pages of the book. Next, cut the pages out by cutting on the dotted lines. Then, put the pages in order and staple the book in the top left corner.

Language Arts Grade 5

Defending Rights

Written by: Valeriya Lilia

Table of Contents

Introduction Page 2-3

What Are Human Rights? Page 4

The American Revolution Page 5-6

Forms of Protest Page 7

Defending Your Rights Today Page 8

Directions: Print all pages of the book. Next, cut the pages out by cutting on the dotted lines. Then, put the pages in order and staple the book in the top left corner.

Language Arts Grade 5

Introduction

It is generally acknowledged all over the world that we are entitled to basic human rights. However, this wasn’t always the case. The problem of inequality dates back as far as ancient times. As a result, people and groups have emerged over time to right the wrongs. The concept of rights developed from various religious and cultural tracts. Laws for just living, such as the ideas of “do unto others as they would do unto you” and “it is wrong to kill,” are evident in many different sources throughout history from various cultures, religions, and continents. Documents such as the Magna Carta (1215), the English Bill of Rights (1689), The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789), and the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights (1791) are the original versions of today’s human rights documents. However, it may seem ironic that many of these documents actually excluded various groups within society. For example, women, people of color, and members of certain religious groups were excluded in some of these original documents.

Introduction continued

As a way to solve the issue of human rights violations, individual countries have their own laws related to human rights. There is also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was agreed upon by 56 members of the United Nations in 1948. This document has been very influential because its ideas have been adopted and written into constitutions in most of the 185 countries now in the United Nations.

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Directions: Print all pages of the book. Next, cut the pages out by cutting on the dotted lines. Then, put the pages in order and staple the book in the top left corner.

Language Arts Grade 5

What Are Human Rights?

Human rights are rights inherent to all humans irrespective of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. These rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from torture and slavery, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work, and the right to education.

The English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) was one of the first people to ever advocate for the notion of having rights through the very fact of being human and that these rights should be protected by the government. His state of nature law advocates all human beings not to harm “the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of

another.” He also argued that no person should own another person as a servant or property.

These rights that have been adopted by almost every country in the world may seem blindingly obvious to us now; however, throughout history, many people have had to fight for their rights. Many people who did this did not want to literally fight; often, they felt that taking up arms would go against the very concept of what they were fighting for.

How have people defended their rights?

The American Revolution

The phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword” was apt to some extent before the American Revolution. It is often forgotten that before the Revolutionary War (1775–1783) began, many people attempted to defend their rights through nonviolent struggle. The disagreements that led to the conflict were because the British government tried to make the American colonies pay a large share of the war debt from the British campaigns with France and in India. Through the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and other taxes, the British tried to collect funds. The American people felt that their rights were being infringed on and that the taxes were unduly harsh. The taxes also caused a financial hardship.

© A portrait of John Locke.

A painting of ships at a dock with supplies being thrown overboard.©

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Directions: Print all pages of the book. Next, cut the pages out by cutting on the dotted lines. Then, put the pages in order and staple the book in the top left corner.

Language Arts Grade 5

The American Revolution

Between 1765 and 1775 there were several forms of protest against British rule and the taxation policies imposed on Americans. One of these was a boycott of British goods. This was to put economic pressure on British merchants. The boycotters hoped the merchants would then put pressure on British politicians who would attempt to ease the concerns of the merchants by repealing the taxation laws. Another form of defending their rights was through purposely buying American-made goods. If British-made goods were available, then Americans would go out of their way not to buy them. Citizens of America also decided not to export goods to Britain. This would primarily be raw materials, as raw materials were often exported to Great Britain as part of the Atlantic Triangle. These were some of the ways Americans tried to solve the problems caused by Britain.

People would also get involved in new American governmental institutions and groups to try to defend their rights. This would often involve writing letters of protest or gathering signatures for petitions. One noticeable difference between this form of protest and the outbreak of war is that almost anyone could get involved in defending their rights through non-violent protest, whereas when war broke out, it was mainly young men in relatively good physical shape who could get involved.

Forms of Protest

Many throughout history have attempted to defend their rights or protest against an unfair action by a government or group through a variety of non- violent means. Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher who lived in the 1800s, is still considered to be someone who represents peaceful resistance because of one of his works “Civil Disobedience.” Within this text, he questioned why people would obey a government whose laws they believe to be wrong. He also protested by refusing to pay his taxes, which meant some time in jail for Thoreau.

As a way to solve issues with inequality and unfair treatment, there have been many protest marches throughout history and many on Washington, the seat of the nation’s government. Some of the most memorable have included the Suffrage Parade in 1913, which was an attempt to ensure that women would be allowed to vote. This victory for women's voting rights would finally happen in 1920, proving a spark can indeed start a great fire. Later,

approximately 250,000 people marched in Washington in 1963 to hear Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The official name for this event was The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. was instrumental in trying to solve the problem of racial inequality.

A painting of a crowd holding signs and protesting.©

©A portrait of Henry David Thoreau.

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Directions: Print all pages of the book. Next, cut the pages out by cutting on the dotted lines. Then, put the pages in order and staple the book in the top left corner.

Language Arts Grade 5

Defending Your Rights Today

Many strides have been made to right the wrongs of inequality, but there are still human rights issues. Today, the ubiquitous use of social media has meant that people are able to defend their rights or protest without leaving their homes just by pressing a few buttons on their phones. It is easy to share videos, sign petitions, forward emails, and share articles and opinions.

However, some of the more traditional forms of defending rights are still available today. Going to court is an option although it can be costly and time consuming. The use of video footage has meant that

people are easily able to share an incident with others. News organizations, like TV news or digital media outlets, may then use this footage. Hopefully, one day there will no longer be the need for any kind of protest. Hopefully, one day equality for all will be a reality.

A group of students on computers. ©

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