Patriot Act Essay

843 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of 9/11 on airport security

September 11th 2001 was not only the day when the delicate facade of American security was shattered, but it was also the events of this day that led to the violation of the rights of millions of American citizens. After relentless reprehension by the American masses on the approach that was taken after the 9/11 attacks ,the Bush administration enacted the Patriot Act on October 26th, 2001, a mere 56 days after this tragic event.The Patriot Act expanded the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies so that they could hopefully avert future terrorist attacks. Under the Patriot Act The NSA (National Security Agency) could entrench upon the privacy of the citizens of the U.S. without public knowledge, consent or, probable cause. The particular incident which had the general public up at arms was when the NSA illicit surveillance came to public knowledge. Essentially for the past 12 years the NSA has been monitoring the cyber world and telephone activity of American citizens, as well as foreign nationals in secrecy. The NSA has been receiving digital information from several major internet and cable providers including Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. They have kept records of phone conversations of millions of Americans and internet search histories as well as all data text messages. Many of the American citizens being monitored have not been convicted of any crimes and have caused no suspicion of illicit activity. Despite the circumstances these private citizens are being unlawfully monitored by the U.S government without consent.The issue at hand is whether the new powers granted by the Patriot Act to permit the NSA to spy on its citizens are absolutely necessary to protect our national security, or if the NSA utilizing the terro... ... middle of paper ... ...ate the exclusionary rule all in the name of anti-terroism. However the exclusionary rule’s power was pristinely intended to be used only in federal cases but its was later extended to the state level by the landmark case Mapp vs. Ohio in 1961.This precedent means that all evidence seized, whether by state officials under incipient anti-terrorist state laws, or by federal agencies under the USA PATRIOT Act, is subject to the Fourth Amendment and its exclusionary rule.The Supreme Court has additionally been required to apply the principles of the Fourth Amendment to new technologies which were not yet discovered in 1791.Notwithstanding the last 200 years of case precedent which greatly expanded the analysis of the Fourth Amendment, the NSA wiretapping (under which the Patriot Act allows) greatly expands the authority of the NSA and encroaches on those precedents.

Show More
Related

  • Dollree Mapp V. Ohio Case

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ohio. However, it was an obvious decision since evidence obtained through a search that was in violation of a person’s Fourth Amendment rights was already inadmissible in federal criminal proceedings, so it only makes sense to make federal and state criminal proceedings equal when it comes to protecting our Fourteenth Amendment Right to a due process proceeding. Mapp v. Ohio is so significant because it was one of the first of several landmark cases that demanded a re-evaluation of the role of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments as it applied to state court

    Read More

  • Mapp V. Ohio Essay

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mapp v. Ohio Supreme Court Case in 1961 is historically significant as it was a turning point that changed our legal system by extending the exclusionary rule that existed at the federal level to include state courts. The exclusionary rule prevents the use of evidence obtained through an illegal search and seizure, without a warrant, to be used against the defendant in court. Before this case, each state decided whether to adopt the exclusionary rule. At the time of this case, twenty-four states were not using the exclusionary rule. The decision in this case meant that all states needed to comply with the exclusionary rule of the Fourth Amendment through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The National Security Agency

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    The National Security Agency or NSA for short is a United States federal government intelligence organization that is used for global monitoring and collecting data. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush implemented the NSA’s domestic spying program to conduct a range of surveillance activities inside the United States. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this program as it allows the NSA to tap into the public’s phone calls, cameras, internet searches, text messages, and many other mediums to seek out individuals that may be potential threats to the security of the general public. Many individuals say that the tactics used by the NSA are unconstitutional as they invade people’s privacy. This is primarily

    Read More

  • Domestic Surveillance Pros And Cons

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    The aftereffects of the September 11, 2001 attacks led to Congress passing sweeping legislation to improve the United States’ counterterrorism efforts. An example of a policy passed was Domestic Surveillance, which is the act of the government spying on citizens. This is an important issue because many people believe that Domestic Surveillance is unconstitutional and an invasion of privacy, while others believe that the government should do whatever is possible in order to keep the citizens safe. One act of Domestic Surveillance, the tracking of our phone calls, is constitutional because it helps fight terrorism, warns us against potential threats, and gives US citizens a feeling of security.

    Read More

  • 2nd Amendment Essay

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United State of America, established by the Founding Father who lead the American Revolution, accomplished many hardship in order to construct what America is today. As history established America’s future, the suffering the United State encountered through history illustrate America’s ability to identify mistakes and make changes to prevent the predictable. The 2nd Amendment was written by the Founding Father who had their rights to bear arms revoked when they believe rising up to their government was appropriate. The Twentieth Century, American’s are divided on the 2nd Amendment rights, “The right to bear arms.” To understand why the Founding Father written this Amendment, investigating the histories and current measures may help the American people gain a better understanding of gun’s rights in today’s America.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The NSA

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    The NSA is a U.S. intelligence agency responsible for providing the government with information on inner and foreign affairs, particularly for the prevention of terrorism and crime. The NSA maintains several database networks in which they receive private information on American citizens. The agency has access to phone calls, emails, photos, recordings, and backgrounds of practically all people residing in the United States. Started in 1952 by President Harry Truman, the NSA is tasked with the global monitoring and surveillance of targeted individuals in American territory. As part of the growing practice of mass surveillance in the United States, the agency collects and stores all phone records of all American citizens. People argue that this collected information is very intrusive, and the NSA may find something personal that someone may not have wanted anyone to know. While this intrusion's main purpose is to avoid events of terrorism, recent information leaks by Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, show that the agency may actually be infringing upon the rights of the American citizen. Whether people like it or not, it seems that the NSA will continue to spy on the people of the United States in an attempt to avert acts of terrorism. Although there are many pros and cons to this surveillance of American citizens, the agency is ultimately just doing its job to protect the lives of the people. Unless a person is actually planning on committing a major crime, there is no real reason for citizens to worry about the NSA and it's invasion of our privacy. The agency is not out to look for embarrassing information about its citizens, rather, only searches for and analyzes information which may lead to the identification of a targe...

    Read More

  • 4th Amendment Violations

    1605 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 4th amendment protects US citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. If it is violated by the government, all evidence found by the unlawful search and seizure must be excluded as per the exclusionary rule which serves as a remedy for 4th amendment violations. Before a remedy can be given for violation of the 4th amendment, a court must determine whether the 4th amendment is applicable to a certain case.

    Read More

  • Fourth Amendment Essay

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Constitution of the United States of America protects people’s rights because it limits the power of government against its people. Those rights guaranteed in the Constitution are better known as the Bill of Rights. Within these rights, the Fourth Amendment protects “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable search and seizures […]” (Knetzger & Muraski, 2008). According to the Fourth Amendment, a search warrant must be issued before a search and seizure takes place. However, consent for lawful search is one of the most common exceptions to the search warrant requirement.

    Read More

  • Informative Essay: The First Amendment Rights

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    The First Amendment is what we chose because it covers good areas (topics) that are occurring in the world on a daily basis. Many people like the items that The First Amendment covers, and some people don't like them. Either way there are many other amendments that have been ratified by the two-thirds of the House and Senate. There are ten amendments in the constitution, but there are 17 other amendments that aren't in the constitution. Therefore, in total there are 27 amendments.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Patriot Act

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even today the Patriot Act of 2001 still affects American citizens by taking advantage of the exigence of 9/11 and resulting in the violation of not just citizens’ rights, but human rights as well. A Roman politician and philosopher, Cicero, eloquently stated in his De Officiis, “...let us not hold unknown for known and [we] should not recklessly accept it, and he who wishes to escape this vice, as all should do, will devote time and attention to the weighing of evidence”. Thus, Congress should not have passed the Patriot Act during the harsh devastation of 9/11 that allowed the government to violate the rights of American citizens while simultaneously ignoring the duty of Congress to acknowledge the long term effects of this legislation on the people of the United States.

    Read More

  • Patriot Act Research Paper

    315 Words  | 1 Pages

    On September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the United State’s Pentagon led to a chain of events that made Americans question their safety and security. Soon after, as an attempt to prevent future terrorist attacks Congress passed the U.S.A. Patriot Act, which stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism, the act was signed off by President George W. Bush. According to the Congressional Research Service, the act grants federal agents and law enforcement “greater powers to trace and intercept terrorists’ communications both for law enforcement and foreign

    Read More

  • Domestic Surveillance Persuasive Essay

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people live in fear that they are constantly being watched. Michael Jackson sang it best in the 80 's by saying, "I always feel like, somebody 's watching me," in his hit song with Rockwell. That 's exactly what the NSA and other government organizations are doing today with domestic surveillance. Everywhere Americans go and every corner they turn there is a camera, and every website or email they send is being monitored closely. So what can society do about this? Educate others on the situation and stand up for what is right. Some people believe they must give up some freedoms for protection, but at what cost? What is happening in America is not what the founding fathers fought for. Domestic surveillance should not be allowed because

    Read More

  • Patriot Act Pros And Cons

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today, in the United States, national security is a major issue. With countless terrorist attacks being inflicted on the U.S., government officials seek to fix the problem by any means possible. In 2001, shortly after the attack on September 11, the George W. Bush administration drafted legislation designed to prevent future terrorist attacks; however, controversy broke out concerning people’s rights to privacy. In effect, The Patriot Act was passed to support the public’s demand to combat terrorism in the wake of 9/11 and resulted in the expansion of the surveillance of federal law-enforcement, and controversy regarding the violation of basic constitutional rights.

    Read More

  • Internet Privacy: Edward Snowden

    1686 Words  | 4 Pages

    The government gives each American citizen a set of unalienable rights that protect them from the government’s power. These rights cannot be broken, yet the government violates the Fourth Amendment daily to find ways to spy on the American public under the guise of protecting against terrorism. In 2007 President Obama said the American administration “acts like violating civil liberties is the way to enhance our securities – it is not.” Americans need to understand that their privacy is worth the fight. The people need to tell their neighbors, their congressmen, and their senators that they will not allow their internet privacy to be violated by needless spying. American citizens deserve the rights given to them and need to fight for the right to keep them by changing privacy laws to include Internet privacy.

    Read More

  • Synthesis Essay On Right To Privacy

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    But then there is a standing issue of government spying. After the unfortunate events of September 11, 2001, the government implemented rigorous regulations to stop future happenings of similar kind. The Patriot Act was passed in October 2001 and its provisions allowed the government to conduct unsupervised surveillance on the electronic communications and records. The government has used this to collect data from the citizens over the course of several years. This act has allowed the government to add exceptions to the meaning of 4th Amendment like ruling out the requirement of ‘probable cause’ and conduct illegitimate searches. It directly violates the rights of, us citizens, provided by the constitution. The legislative branch has failed to uphold the rights of the

    Read More

More about Patriot Act Essay

Open Document