Paper Example on Protecting Civil Liberties: A Crucial Role in American Society

Chapter 1

Civil liberties were developed to protect the U.S citizens from the government's interference and hence giving them the opportunity to pursue their belief systems. As a result of these liberties, people are empowered by the constitution to speak against the government in situations they feel that their rights are being intruded (Harrison et al., 2019). Therefore, I feel that such liberties play a crucial role in American society by protecting citizens from imprisonment, execution, or punishment for expressing their own political beliefs, which may be against the government. However, the constitution only guarantees these liberties as long as they do not harm other citizens. I believe these liberties are crucial in preventing the government from depriving its citizens of their fundamental human rights and ensuring that the due process is followed as provided in the 5th and 14th Amendments.

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Though having civil liberties, lack of checks and balances may lead to misuse or abuse of these privileges. Therefore, I concur that the liberties need limitations to ensure that citizens remain within the constitution's scope. Some of the constitutionally established standards, such as the "clear and present danger tests" and "clear and probable dangers tests," play a crucial role in avoiding the dangers that may be associated with disturbance or incitation of the public (History Education Foundation, 2019). By applying such standards, the government has the authority of speech or expression that may harm the government.

Chapter 2

Civil rights guarantee the government's protection of people's privileges and rights against discriminatory or arbitrary actions. Therefore, the government represents all people and should have the moral obligation to ensure their protection against any form of discrimination resulting from natural characteristics such as gender, religion, national origin, and race (Harrison et al., 2019). I believe that neither organizations nor individual people should treat others differently due to the differences in inherent characteristics. Treating people differently because of their inborn characteristics should be classified as unfair and illegal across all sectors. An excellent example of government protecting civil rights is upholding the voting rights to ensure that all people can participate in voting exercise regardless of their inherent characteristics. The only thing that should matter is whether they meet the standards as required by the law.

I believe that the government should be accountable for ensuring protection against civil disobedience across all sectors. People should have equal freedom to participate in political, economic, and social systems regardless of their gender, race, religion or sexuality, disability (History Education Foundation, 2019). However, in ensuring civil rights protection, I concur that the government should include some tests such as ordinary scrutiny and strict scrutiny. With such tests, discrimination may be termed as legal based on the government’s need to attain a legitimate and convincing public interest.

Chapter 3

Political socialization describes the process through which citizens develop political opinions and values all through their lives. The main agents include the citizens, institutions, and organizations that aid in gaining of political views. I believe that it is through socialization that citizens of a given country acquire the perspective and ideologies that shape their political viewpoints. It is true that political socialization starts occurring at a very tender age within families (Harrison et al., 2019). Children learn a lot from parents, peers, and community leaders that actively engage in matters concerning society, such as discussing significant events, following the news, and even in campaign volunteering. It is also true that schools play a huge role in political socialization as the learners are sensitized about democracy, which makes them more involved in political activism.

Media is also another platform that shapes people's political viewpoints by reinforcing democratic values, determining national agenda, and educating on policy issues. Additionally, religious institutions form the foundation of all other beliefs and actions in people’s lives, including their behaviors and political views (Harrison et al., 2019). I believe that people need to embrace technology, especially the internet, in finding better ways to forecast political behaviors and settle public opinion differences between American generations.

References

Harrison, B. C., Harris, J. W., & Deardorff, M. D. (2019). American democracy now. McGraw-Hill.

History Education Foundation. (2019, November 5). Henry clay and the struggle for the union [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISIYGpiJg-Q&t=197s