Civil Liberty vs. Security

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, once said “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” In America’s society today, some are willing to sacrifice their civil liberties in order to gain protection and security over some potential threat. Especially after the events of September 11th and several attempted bombings in U.S. cities. This sacrifice of individual freedoms such as the freedom of speech, expression, the right to information, to new technologies, and so forth, for additional protection is more of a loss than a gain. Citizens of the United States deserve equal liberty and safety overall, as someone should not have to give up one value in order to gain another. This concept of individual right goes beyond the simple idea of “individual comfort.” Personal liberties cannot be surrendered and are not to be compromised since these liberties are intangible. Individuals should not have their personal liberties exchanged for national security because individuals are guaranteed protection to these rights.

Individuals should not have to give up their personal freedoms for the sake of national security. In this case concerning national security, which seems broad, security can be differentiated into two aspects, internal and external. Internal security pertains more to the people because it represents the government. External security involves state laws and codes that help prevent attacks on the United States, terrorism and potential foreign invasion. Civil rights in the United States are the right of U.S. citizens to have privacy, freedom of speech, peaceful protest, fair trial, personal freedom, and equal protection. Thes...

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...he core rights of a citizen given. Violating or exchanging these rights for the nation’s security could lead to more corrupt government officials taking advantage of the American people. National security is the idea that people should be protected from outside dangers and violating people’s liberties defeats the whole purpose of national security.

Works Cited

Vesterman, William, and Thomas Jefferson. "The Declaration of Independence." Great Interdisciplinary Ideas: A Reader for Writers. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 189. Print.

Shachtman, Noah. "How Gadets Helped Mumbai Attackers." Wired.com. Web. 23 May 2012. .

Vesterman, William, and Martin Luther King Junior. "The Declaration of Independence." Great Interdisciplinary Ideas: A Reader for Writers. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 228. Print.