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Essay On Civil Liberties

709 Words3 Pages

Civil Liberties Some would argue that people would rather have security instead of liberty. But if that were true, why would we risk our lives in a war to ensure our freedoms? It’s because our rights are some of the most important things in our lives that some of us would die for. However, ever since the tragic incident of 9/11, National security has slowly been chipping away at our liberties. National security has altered several of our amendments taking away our freedom of speech, freedom of unreasonable search and seizures, freedom of being held without charge, and much more. One of the most well known amendments is freedom of speech. However, after 9/11 it 's not so much a “freedom” as it is a “privilege”. “The Patriot Act broadly expands the official definition of terrorism so that many domestic groups that engage in nonviolent civil disobedience could...find themselves labeled as terrorists” (Eroding Liberty). So even though we are told we have the right to say what we want, if we say something the government does not like, we are classified as a “terrorist”. For example, everyone knows of the …show more content…

Lastly, the Patriot Act also eroded our freedom to be held without a charge. “Americans can now be jailed without a formal charge” (Eroding Liberties). This changed amendment takes away our three natural rights; life, liberty, and happiness. In america, you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Unless you are convicted of a crime, you shouldn 't be punished. After 9/11, “hundreds of Arab, Muslim, and South Asian men were rounded up...and held for weeks without charges” (Eroding Liberties). After 9/11, hundreds of people were punished for someone else 's actions. This is completely unjust and unfair. It’s similar to a classroom situation when an anonymous kid acts up and won 't confess so the whole class in punished. Why should everyone be penalized for one person’s actions? The answer is, they shouldn’t. Yet for some reason, it is legal

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