Requesting writing help(500 words) for a Government class

Part 1

For this writing assignment(Minimum 250 words) , look at another controversial issue: civil rights and the American court system.  Read the following articles and then do any additional research as necessary and then answer the following questions:

https://theintercept.com/2019/12/03/death-penalty-race-texas/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/spotlight/2020/01/09/just-mercy-shows-why-death-penalty-racial-disparity-should-make-you-angry/4418179002/ 

· What are the major themes in the article "Death and Texas"?  

· What, if any, role has race played in the death penalty historically? Do you believe this to be a fair assessment? Why or why not?

· What changes are being made throughout the United States with regards to capital punishment?  Do you agree with these changes?  Why or why not?

· What issue(s) are being brought to light with the release of Just Mercy?  Do you think a major movie release will have any impact on race and the death penalty? 

· Based on your reading and research, do side more with the federal government and states that wish to continue using capital punishment, or are you more in line with the states with a ban or moratorium? 

Do not forget your works cited The word count does not include your required works cited. Since the above-mentioned web links/articles are all required for this discussion, you must include them in your works cited.  Any additional research must be included in your sources as well.  

 

Part 2-Reaction to write up below -Must be a minimum of 150 words.  You must use sources here only if you are refuting something they stated, based on research.  This post is worth 20 points. 

 Retyping the prompt(s) will not count towards total word count requirements.  

 It MUST be thoughtful reaction, with a full explanation, agreeing or disagreeing with the write up. Simply agreeing or disagreeing is not helpful and will not earn any points.

Write up : Please write a 150 word reaction to below

In the article, "Death and Texas" themes such as morality and racism play a big role in determining the outcome of the death penalty.  Henry Porter, a Mexican man, was accused of fatally killing a Fort Worth police officer in an act of self defense which in my opinion is a completely natural reaction when in fear for your life. Porter claims that because he is a man of color that his life is meaningless in the eyes of the court and even states that "when a Mexican kills a police officer, this is what you get". Furthermore, if we dig into America's past we can see that executions were much more common especially for people of color because they were thought to be "more likely to commit crimes" or were just generally seen as "threats" to society. Jim Crow laws stated that African-Americans were considered 3/5 of a person and whenever a black individual became troublesome they were lynched and faced harsher punishments than they white counterparts. Of course this is completely unfair and immoral but this was the reality for many Americans in the past before laws changed and improved. In 1976, Jurek vs. Texas approved that legislation would ensure a fair trial for all people dwindling in the system and to be fully rational and "evenhanded". "Just Mercy" portrays a lawyer by the name of Bryan Stevenson, graduate from Harvard, who defends Walter McMillan, who is on death penalty for the murder of an 18 year old woman. Stevenson is able to discover evidence that could prove McMillian's innocence but encounters multiple obstacles such as racism and political readjustments in the effort to save his client's life. Personally, I am for the ban of the death penalty because I feel as if there are harsher punishments than death by itself because living allows a person to reflect on their past actions.

https://theintercept.com/2019/12/03/death-penalty-race-texas/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/spotlight/2020/01/09/just-mercy-shows-why-death-penalty-racial-disparity-should-make-you-angry/4418179002/

https://www.britannica.com/event/Jim-Crow-law