Bill of riights

Running head : Fundamental Rights vs . Free America

Fundamental Rights vs . Justice and Security in Free America

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Introduction

In the 18th Century the colonists of the United States had a passion for a free society where government control was placed in the hands of the people who were guaranteed a number of civil liberties promoting fair treatment for all . After extensive debate , the Framers presented the people with the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution - titled the Bill of Rights . These fundamental rights

br guarantee each American citizen freedom of expression , protection from illegal search and seizure and most importantly due process . As the country reached the 21st Century a focus was placed on the importance of information technology , which created the age of electronic information and removed the limitations of communication . Society was once again transformed on September 11 , 2001 as terrorists took the lives of thousands of innocent victims without warning and this devastation shocked the nation . Suddenly an intense focus was placed on national security and government officials quickly established legislation to legalize the protective measures . The United States of America Patriot Act of 2001 was signed into law in October 2001 in the aftermath of the attacks , providing the government with very few limitations so that extreme measures could be taken to fight the enemy . Justice is now dispensed in the name of national security , which has resulted in compromising the integrity of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution (Cohen Wells , 2004

Fundamental Rights vs . Justice and Security in Free America

The United States of America was constructed on the premise of natural rights and government based on principles of reason , and the drive to reduce the governing principles to written law (McAffee 2000 ) Our forefathers believed that the citizens could preserve liberty and avoid oppression through a free society , where political involvement and public virtue was strong . The Framers of the Constitution worked together to establish the Bill of Rights on a foundation never more to be shaken ' and the fact these civil liberties were documented and placed into law only served to protect future generations (McAffee 2000

In the Post-September 11 society the colonial idea of a limited government controlled by the people has been swept aside . The Federal government has taken control of many fundamental rights and justice no longer bears the burden of proof (McAffee , 2000 ) Federal and State law enforcement agencies have grown into a myriad of investigative agencies ' and numerous levels of massive law enforcement ' agencies that have the freedom to act on suspicion . Very few civil liberties remain intact - at the heart of it all is the USA Patriot Act (USAPA passed by Congress on October 25 , 2001 . This particular legislation brought with it a new form of criminal activity , domestic terrorism and its broad definition poses a threat to a free society (Lewis 2002

Administration of Justice vs . National Security

The First Amendment . The First Amendment is the guarantee that...