Reflection

1. I learned about different cases which helped improve civil rights such as Brown v. Board, Roe v. Wade etc.

2. What surprised me was that the government has restriction on how many people can immigrate to the U.S.

3. I do not agree with the Patriot Act because it violates most to all of our civil rights on the pretext of "hunting down terrorists"

4. It's important because it helps us better understand how the government is run and what's actually going on with our government today.

5. It can improve by making GITMS more about government than current events. Also if Fabian sat down during notes.

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Discussion Questions

1. World War II changed America by being portrayed as defenders of liberty around the world against Nazism, Fascism, and totalitarianism. It also changed its ideas on individual liberties and government power.

2. The major tensions included World War II, McCarthyism, Cold War, national identity, free speech, civil rights struggles, and national security.

3. She meant that the Supreme Court didn't give as much individual rights as they did before World War II.

Background Essay

After World War II, the Supreme Court changed its course when it came to giving more individual liberties to people. The U.S. now saw itself as a preserver of democracy and freedom to the world and wanted to show it to the rest of the world by giving more civil rights to minorities (namely African Americans). It took twenty years after World War II for the Supreme Court to outlaw poll taxes and literacy tests by passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which gave voting rights to African Americans.

'Rights are relative and not absolute'

Rights are given to people, but to an extent where it doesn't infringe on someone's rights.

3 Branches Review

Principal Lay

My opinion is that everyone has the right to practice his or her religion as he or she pleases, as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of other people, such as proselytizing or forced conversion. Religion can be discussed at school for academic purposes or if it relates to the subject in which the teacher is lecturing about, but a person can't go up in class or on the intercom and start preaching their religion and asking people to convert, especially if that school has multi-religious backgrounds, meaning that you have people of different faiths that go to that school and you're offending them and infrining on their rights.

Pros:

• Learn laws and rules from the Bible
• Learn more about Christian history
• Learn reasons why Christianity is what it is today

Cons

• Violates the First Amendment
• It proselytizes Christianity
• It can even promote bullying or harrasment to those who aren't Christians

Bill of Rights Scenerios

1. It violates the Fourth Amendment which guards against unreasonable search and seizure.

2. It violates the First Amendment which is the freedom to petition and assemble.

3. It violates the Ninth Amendment which is other rights besides from those listed (meaning the Bill of Rights) may exist and cannot be violated.

4. It violates the First Amendment which is freedom of religion.

5. It violates the Fifth Amendment which is Due Process.

Articles Failure

Some of the main points of this video explained why the Articles of Confederation failed and it was because the states were either too strong or the federal governement was weak. He also explained how federalism was very weak because usually instead of the federal government, the state governments had majority of the power, so they basically ran like little independent nations. He also explained the three brances of government, known as the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branch. He explained the good, bad and the ugly of federalism under the Articles of Confederation. The good was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 where the government asked money from the states and basically increased territory for the U.S (i.e. Manifest Destiny). The bad was the structure of government itself that they weren't very "united" in a sense that we are today, such as building a national army. The ugly was when Shay's Rebellion happened. It happened because of economic depression and over taxing, which after the rebellion caused the states to gather for the Annapolis Convention in Maryland to consider writing a new constituion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7FQsCcbD8

Branches of Government Political Cartoons

It shows that the only way to attain power in the United States is to have the money.

It a political cartoon that shows that lobbyists can have influence over rules the the legislative branches approve.

Federalism and Seperation of Powers Political Cartoons (two of the 6 principles of Government)

This political cartoon shows the elephant (a republican) explaining federalism and then it shows a double standard when California wants to hold carmakers to their own state standards but the republican is being obstructive.

This cartoon shows the separation of power and it shows the legislative branch poking fun at the system by asking where to find the vice president.