Important civil liberties and civil rights

Module 4: Essay 4: Important civil liberties and civil rights

Overview

The Essay assignment is where you will have an opportunity to explore concepts from this module in more depth. You will have to do some careful thinking and put together reasoned and complete responses to the questions posed. 

Instructions

· You are to write a 3-5 page argumentative essay on any  one  of the following essay questions. This essay is worth 50 points.

· The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center was founded December 15, 1991, the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution.  Review the information on the following websites concerning the First Amendment and then write an essay on ways in which the First Amendment is relevant to today's world. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully.

Freedom Forum   Findlaw, First Amendment - U.S. Constitution    Newseum Institute First Amendment Center   

· The Supreme Court has dealt extensively with the rights of the accused, in such cases as Miranda v. Arizona or Gideon v. Wainwright. In the last two decades, however, there has been a "backlash" in the form of a victims' rights movement. After reviewing the information on the following websites, write an essay that explains what the "victim's rights" concept is about and evaluate its constitutional basis. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully.

US Department of Justice – Office for Victims of Crime Victim Law Victim’s Rights in the 50 States   

· Visit the websites below and then write an essay explaining the distinction between civil rights and human rights. Should the United States be bound by international law concerning human rights? What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully.

Encyclopedia Britannica Civil Rights The Human Rights Web United for Human Rights

· One of the most intense efforts to amend the Constitution of the United States in modern times was the drive for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Research the ERA and its successor effort, the Constitutional Equality Amendment (CEA). Then write an essay explaining how far the amendment got in the amendment process, and what the challenges it faced may indicate about other attempts to amend the US Constitution, such as proposals for a Balanced Budget Amendment, an anti-Flag Burning Amendment, or an anti-Gay Marriage Amendment. What is your opinion with respect to this topic? Explain fully.

National Organization for Women Official Website Chronology of the ERA Equal rights information and articles Constitutional Equality The Constitutional Amendment Process Amending the Constitution

Deliverable:

·

· 3-5 page (800-1500 words) essay stating and supporting a clear opinion or argument.  Make sure you read the Short Essay Rubric carefully for all the elements you are required to include in the essay, including appropriate examples, explanations and reasons from your reading, at least three appropriate concepts from the textbook and/or module, current news events and at least two references. 

· Put your name, date, and module # on the essay.

· Put the complete essay question you chose at the beginning of the essay (don’t paraphrase it); leave out the websites; single space this question and include an extra space between the question and the body of the essay.

· Use Times New Roman, 12 pt black font, 1-inch margins; double-space the body of the essay, indent new paragraphs by 1/2 inch, and don't include extra spaces between paragraphs; you don't need to include a title page or abstract.

· The essay must use college level English, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.

· Use ONLY Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or save your document as a Rich Text File (.rtf).

· The essay must use APA formatting, referencing, and citations; a reference page must be included. For more information and models of APA formatting, see the APA Toolkit in the Syllabus Module.