Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Write an 800-1000 word essay arguing for the creation, elimination, extension, or contraction of a civil liberty or civil right described in Chapter 4. Remember to make an argument and support your argument with evidence and specific references to the text. Cite sources and be careful not to plagiarize. It is important to show that you know how to use sources/texts and argue persuasively while giving others credit for their ideas. In particular, be sure to assess the opposing views to your claims. Sometimes composition classes will use a “They say __________, I say ________” formulation to highlight the points of disagreement, but remember to avoid the first person. For example, “English teachers often argue that students should be encouraged to give their opinion without challenge (“they say”) in order to encourage students to be interested in the subject matter and to know that their view matters, but this approach shifts the focus of the discussion to the fact that a student has an opinion, regardless of what it might be, rather than the reasons they hold the opinion–in effect, this shift de-emphasizes the rational and evidentiary basis for differing views and limits the possibilities for consensus-building and rational debate (“I say”).