Day 15 - Liberties and Rights Wrap-up

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Learning Targets:  Students will be able to....

• Explain how the U.S. Constitution protects individual liberties and rights.
• Describe the rights protected in the Bill of Rights.
• Explain the extent to which the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First and Second Amendments reflects a commitment to individual liberty.

Through the U.S. Constitution, but primarily through the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment, citizens and groups have attempted to limit national and state governments to prevent them from infringing upon individual rights and from denying equal protection under the law. 

However, it has sometimes been argued that these legal protections have been used to slow reforms and restrict freedoms of others in the name of social order.

Opener:  

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws. 

- MLK, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963

1.  Which of the following statements best reflects King's message in this passage?
   
     a.  Nazi Germany and the suppression of freedom fighters were both cruel events
     b.  All laws contain some elements of corruption and malfesience
     c.  Unethical or immoral laws should never be obeyed in any circumstance
     d.  The law can be dangerous tool when used by nefarious dictators

2.  Which of the following statements best explains why King included this passage in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"?

     a.  To claim that the United States was slowly sliding towards fascism
     b.  To demonstrate that unjust laws can exist in even democratic states
     c.  To promote himself as an activist willing to work in any conditions
     d.  To educate readers on the horrors of Nazi and Communist dictators

Activity #1 -  Civil Rights - YOU MAKE THE CALL! U-debate

Case #1 - Allan Bakke, a thirty-five-year-old white man, had twice applied for admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis. He was rejected both times. The school reserved sixteen places in each entering class of one hundred for "qualified" minorities, as part of the university's affirmative action program, in an effort to redress longstanding, unfair minority exclusions from the medical profession. Bakke's qualifications (college GPA and test scores) exceeded those of any of the minority students admitted in the two years Bakke's applications were rejected. Bakke contended, first in the California courts, then in the Supreme Court, that he was excluded from admission solely on the basis of race.

• Summary taken from www.oyez.org

Case #2 - School districts voluntarily adopted student assignment plans that rely on race to determine which schools certain children may attend. The Seattle district, which has never operated legally segregated schools or been subject to court-ordered desegregation, classified children as white or nonwhite, and used the racial classifications as a “tiebreaker” to allocate slots in particular high 

schools.

• Summary taken from www.law.cornell.edu

Case #3 - White and Hispanic candidates for promotion in the New Haven, Connecticut, fire department sued after their examinations were discarded because not enough candidates from other racial groups passed their tests.

• Summary taken from www.constitutioncenter.org

Activity #2 - PERP breakdown - Add to N-50

Roe v. Wade
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TPandB7pX_Epc5O7doEZ6xRPzdqC-V5cFGV0K5YTp6M/edit?usp=sharing

• The following information taken from www.landmarkcases.org

Close - Homework! - Essay due Tuesday!  Choose 1 for homework, the other for classwork Tuesday.

Essay #1 - Quantitative Analysis

1.  Which policy proposal has enjoyed the strongest support following September 11, 2001? 1 pt.

2.  Describe a trend in the data and draw conclusions about voter support for increased security measures after 2001. 2 pts.

3.  Explain how the information in the graphic relates to civil liberties and majority rule. 3 pts.


Essay #2 - Argument development

Develop an argument that explains whether Congress or the Supreme Court is best suited to settle disputes regarding civil rights and/or civil liberties.

• Articulate a defensible claim or thesis that responds to the prompt and establishes a line of reasoning. 1 pt.*
• Support your claim with at least TWO pieces of accurate and relevant information: 2 pts.
• At least ONE piece of evidence must be from one of the following documents:
• Federalist 78
• Bill of Rights
• Letter from a Birmingham Jail
• Use a SECOND piece of evidence from another document from the list, or your study of civil liberties/civil rights.

• Use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim/thesis. 2 pts.

• Respond to an opposing perspective using refutation, concession, or rebuttal. 1 pt.

*Note, you MUST earn this point in order to earn 5 of the next 6 points