Civil Rights and Liberties

1. Should freedom of speech be limited and why? If yes, then how do we limit it? Use specific examples to support your answer.

Freedom of speech has grown to become an essential part of the United States of America to maintain the free flow of ideas within the country. For instance, the Free Speech Movement (FSM) during the 1964-1965 academic year that spawned on the campus of University of California, Berkeley vitalized the students’ right to free speech and academic freedom, and thus led to an unprecedented spread of this attitude that still stands as the fundamental principles of the nation today. There are times, however, when it is appropriate to limit free speech on certain individuals in certain states of the nation in order to maintain order. Laws and governmental regulations outline these crucial limitations; for instance, a person should not exercise free speech for slander, to encroach the rights of others, to threaten others, to divulge lawfully classified information, or reveal another’s personal information. As long as there exists an evident balance of the freedom of speech and limitations, I truly believe that these restrictions play a pivotal role in maintaining a relatively peaceful, safe freedom in society.

http://studentantiwar.blogs.brynmawr.edu/stories-from-the-frontlines/frountline-in-usa/movements-that-inspire-us-berkeley-free-speech/

2. Do you think the state should be completely separated from religion? Should government never interfere with religious activities Explain.

The wall of separation between the religion and state, I believe, is a fundamental requirement for any nation in order to maintain a healthy society truly on the grounds of freedom. When the government is affiliated with a certain religious standpoint, this undeniably takes away or limits the power and rights of those with different beliefs-- a state vulnerable to inevitable religious discrimination and conflict within the country. The only reason the government should touch on the issues of religion should be to only enforce the freedom of its expression and support equal treatment of people of all religious beliefs. Landmark Supreme Court cases on the issue of religion include the Engel v. Vitale case in 1962, which made it unconstitutional to enforce official school prayers and its recitation in public schools, and the Torcaso v. Watkins case in 1961 which prohibited the government from requiring any kind of religious test for public office.

http://www.goodsalt.com/details/lwjas0314.html

3. From the four controversial events, which event made the most impact to today's rights for the accused? The cases were Miranda vs. Arizona, Escobedo vs Illinois, Mapp vs. Ohio, and Gideon vs. Wainwright.

Of the four given events, I believe that the Gideon v. Wainwright court case places the greatest impact on today’s rights for the accused. Carried out in 1963, the landmark Supreme Court case made it essential that state courts provide counsel in criminal cases to represent those accused who cannot afford to hire their own attorneys. This ruling plays a pivotal role within the United States even today because it further perfects the trial system by preventing discrimination against the financially difficult in court. Without an attorney in court, less wealthy and less educated defendants are placed under a significant disadvantage without sufficient knowledge of the law, and thus this case was able to eradicate this unequal gap in the justice system.

http://www.rashkind.com/Gideon/

4. Based on the world today, was the gender equality movement successful? How about within South Korea? Give specific examples.

Although not on perfectly equivalent terms yet, I personally see that the gender equality movement was extremely successful in bringing major changes to reduce gender discrimination within the United States. Having successfully achieved suffrage and equality in property rights in the first-wave of feminism, activists after World War II were able to tackle discrimination in employment opportunities, pay, reproductive rights, and education. Key achievements include the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1953, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Women’s Educational Equity Act of 1972, and many more.

In South Korea, the traditional belief based on old Confucian principles that women belong in the home raising children and doing only housework still seems to persist. Women unfortunately still occupy lower ranks in the workplace compared to male workers and still suffer through discriminatory practices of employment and unequal wages. Nonetheless however, great progress is in action with changing government legislation and shifting public opinion towards gender equality. For example, in 1995, the Women’s Development Act was passed in South Korea in order to eliminate discrimination, encourage advancement in public life, and enhance welfare conditions for women.

http://www.bpw-michigan.org/?q=node/79

5. What evidence of discrimination do we still see today in the United States? If there was a Civil Rights Act of 2014, what factors would you include and which minority groups would be included?

Currently in the United States, the unfortunate trend of discrimination still seems to be, though on a much lesser degree than in the past, prevalent throughout the nation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was able to successfully outlaw discrimination based on race, color, religion, and sex. If a new Civil Rights Act was to be written in 2014, factors such as those dealing with the issues of illegal immigrants would be more focused on as we see continuous problems rising in this area today towards minority groups like those of Hispanic and Latino descent.  

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/what-the-hells-the-presidency-for/358630/

Bibliography:

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/civil-rights-first-amendment

https://www.aclu.org/free-speech

http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/the-wall-of-separation-between-church-and-state

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act

http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/History_of_the_Movement_for_Gender_Equality