Reference no: EM131359327 , Length:
Question: "Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Americans. We are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality." (USCIS) Thus begins the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) discussion on the Rights and Responsibilities of American citizens. USCIS helps immigrants applying for citizenship realize that with rights come responsibilities.
Now, let's pause and begin tying together the major themes and ideas that we have been working with. This will serve as a foundation for engaged citizenship. Each citizen's approach will be uniquely their own.
The American form of governance calls for an informed and engaged citizenry. In order to better understand our role in society, reflect upon how your values, sense of justice, and duty to dissent intertwine with your rights and responsibilities.
During this phase, you will:
Synthesize information from a variety of sources and translate it into written arguments defending the importance of preserving civil and human rights in a democratic society.
Use written, oral, or visual communication as an effective tool to advocate for civil and human rights.
Analyze foundational ideas of governance and judge their best application in order to assume responsibility for making positive changes in government and society.
Influence others to effect change leading to growth in good governance.
Manage and calibrate expectations of what republican governance is capable of achieving to better judge government outcomes.
Establish how personal values, behaviors, and integrity lead to building trusting relationships as part of the political process.
Critique the rational underpinnings and legitimacy of arguments to choose more ethical courses of political action.
Video & Commentary: Rights and Society
https://youtu.be/MxEauRq1WxQ
President Lyndon Johnson - Speech on Voting Rights, MCamericanpresident, 2008
As you know from the discussion on the Social Contract in the previous component, voting is the mechanism which allows the "governed" to give their "consent." In this speech, President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ), the 36th President of the United States, finally calls for equal rights, including voting rights, for African Americans. He discusses the 'secret heart' of America and how the issue of equal rights speaks to the values and purposes of [this nation]. The 2015 film, Selma, depicts the march of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and supporters, and the violence that accompanied it, as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the city of Selma, Alabama. The intent by King was to stage the walk from Selma to the State's capital city Montgomery in order to create awareness that African Americans were being denied their right to vote. The marchers were engaging in their First Amendment right of dissent. (Can you see the connection of this event to the Social Contract?) As LBJ indicates, this speech came one week after MLK's march in Selma. In 144 days, Johnson signed the Voters Rights Act of 1965 (August 6, 1965).
Today, approximately 51 million Americans could vote but are not registered. In the historic election of 2008, 41% of African American voters were not registered. According to Politico, of those African Americans that did vote, 96% voted for Mr. Obama. These African American voters represented 13% of the voters in the 2008 election. In the modern era, when discussions on equality and rights are seemingly omnipresent, there is a disconnect among nearly half of the American population between the right to vote, the condition of our nation, and an appreciation of those who fought for, and died for, our right, through voting, for self-determination. It's a sad fact that persons on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder (the poor) of American society generally do not vote.
Readings & Research: Rights and Society
Review the following Required Reading Articles:
https://billofrightsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/BillofRights.pdf
James Madison, 1789
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Philadelphia Convention, 1787
https://content.bellevue.edu/cas/la/400-410-420/id/kss/federalist-no-10.pdf
James Madison, 1787
https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/root/bank_mm/anglais/cst2.pdf
Government of France, 1789
https://content.bellevue.edu/cas/la/400-410-420/id/kss/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.pdf
United Nations, 1948
https://www.brookings.edu/research/essays/2015/changingfaceoftheheartland
Jennifer Bradley, The Brookings Essays, 2015
https://www.people-press.org/2014/09/18/teaching-the-children-sharp-ideological-differences-some-common-ground/
Pew Research Center, 2014
Videos: Rights and Society
Review the following videos:
In this Ted Talk, 'The Paradox of Choice,' the author discusses humorously how 'more means less.' He presents the challenge of maximizing individual freedom by providing people with more choices, which, he suggests, will allow individuals to act in their own best interests. While choices are a by-product of capitalism, sometimes we are overwhelmed by the choices we face. What are the negative effects from too much choice?
https://youtu.be/VO6XEQIsCoM
"Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Americans. We are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality." (USCIS) Thus begins the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) discussion on the Rights and Responsibilities of American citizens. USCIS helps immigrants applying for citizenship realize that with rights come responsibilities.
Now, let's pause and begin tying together the major themes and ideas that we have been working with. This will serve as a foundation for engaged citizenship. Each citizen's approach will be uniquely their own.
The American form of governance calls for an informed and engaged citizenry. In order to better understand our role in society, reflect upon how your values, sense of justice, and duty to dissent intertwine with your rights and responsibilities.
During this phase, you will:
Synthesize information from a variety of sources and translate it into written arguments defending the importance of preserving civil and human rights in a democratic society.
Use written, oral, or visual communication as an effective tool to advocate for civil and human rights.
Analyze foundational ideas of governance and judge their best application in order to assume responsibility for making positive changes in government and society.
Influence others to effect change leading to growth in good governance.
Manage and calibrate expectations of what republican governance is capable of achieving to better judge government outcomes.
Establish how personal values, behaviors, and integrity lead to building trusting relationships as part of the political process.
Critique the rational underpinnings and legitimacy of arguments to choose more ethical courses of political action.
Video & Commentary: Rights and Society
https://youtu.be/MxEauRq1WxQ
President Lyndon Johnson - Speech on Voting Rights, MCamericanpresident, 2008
As you know from the discussion on the Social Contract in the previous component, voting is the mechanism which allows the "governed" to give their "consent." In this speech, President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ), the 36th President of the United States, finally calls for equal rights, including voting rights, for African Americans. He discusses the 'secret heart' of America and how the issue of equal rights speaks to the values and purposes of [this nation]. The 2015 film, Selma, depicts the march of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and supporters, and the violence that accompanied it, as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the city of Selma, Alabama. The intent by King was to stage the walk from Selma to the State's capital city Montgomery in order to create awareness that African Americans were being denied their right to vote. The marchers were engaging in their First Amendment right of dissent. (Can you see the connection of this event to the Social Contract?) As LBJ indicates, this speech came one week after MLK's march in Selma. In 144 days, Johnson signed the Voters Rights Act of 1965 (August 6, 1965).
Today, approximately 51 million Americans could vote but are not registered. In the historic election of 2008, 41% of African American voters were not registered. According to Politico, of those African Americans that did vote, 96% voted for Mr. Obama. These African American voters represented 13% of the voters in the 2008 election. In the modern era, when discussions on equality and rights are seemingly omnipresent, there is a disconnect among nearly half of the American population between the right to vote, the condition of our nation, and an appreciation of those who fought for, and died for, our right, through voting, for self-determination. It's a sad fact that persons on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder (the poor) of American society generally do not vote.
Readings & Research: Rights and Society
Review the following Required Reading Articles:
https://billofrightsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/BillofRights.pdf
James Madison, 1789
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Philadelphia Convention, 1787
https://content.bellevue.edu/cas/la/400-410-420/id/kss/federalist-no-10.pdf
James Madison, 1787
https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/root/bank_mm/anglais/cst2.pdf
Government of France, 1789
https://content.bellevue.edu/cas/la/400-410-420/id/kss/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.pdf
United Nations, 1948
https://www.brookings.edu/research/essays/2015/changingfaceoftheheartland
Jennifer Bradley, The Brookings Essays, 2015
https://www.people-press.org/2014/09/18/teaching-the-children-sharp-ideological-differences-some-common-ground/
Pew Research Center, 2014
Videos: Rights and Society
Review the following videos:
In this Ted Talk, 'The Paradox of Choice,' the author discusses humorously how 'more means less.' He presents the challenge of maximizing individual freedom by providing people with more choices, which, he suggests, will allow individuals to act in their own best interests. While choices are a by-product of capitalism, sometimes we are overwhelmed by the choices we face. What are the negative effects from too much choice?
https://youtu.be/VO6XEQIsCoM
Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice, TED, 2007
Watch or Read: The U.S. Constitution.
https://youtu.be/_7OgymkTxAM
https://librivox.org/the-constitution-of-the-united-states-of-america-1787/
Reading of the United States Constitution by Members of the 113th Congress, Eric Cantor, 2013
"We need to discover the lost art of democratic government." Join Harvard professor Michael Sandel's Ted Talk as he makes a light-hearted but poignant argument about the importance of democratic debate in America's system of government. Although social media is aflame with heated debates, after the shouting has ended, the need to debate important issues remains. How do "we the people" resolve the complicated issues our nation faces?
https://youtu.be/hPsUXhXgWmI
Michael Sandel: The lost art of democratic debate, TED, 2010
You've heard about the "right" or the "left" in politics but do you know what it means? What it really means? What are the foundational ideas that divide those on the "right" or conservative side of politics and those on the "left: or progressive side of politics? What are the four foundational influences on our political views?
https://youtu.be/j_k_k-bHigM
Political Ideology: Crash Course Government and Politics #35, CrashCourse, 2015
This is a full-length reading of the 1948 United Nations, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The development of this document was lead by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The member states of the United Nations agreed to, at least philosophically, agree to pursue a global standard of human rights for all humanity.
https://youtu.be/bbRY3aZLTy0
U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights - FULL Audio Book | Greatest Audio Books, Greatest AudioBooks, 2012
In this video, the host explains the context for France's development of a declaration of human rights. While the American and French revolution occurred during the same period of American history, unlike the American Revolution, the revolution in France included retribution against the aristocracy including public executions and imprisonment. The popular Broadway show, Les Miserables is based on Victor Hugo's book of the French revolution. (Hugo also wrote, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame.') Note the similarities and the differences between the US and the French declarations and the specific rights mentioned in each.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-constitutional-monarchy-declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-citizen-the-civil-constituion.html
We often hear someone mention they have a right to something. On the one hand, Americans generally think of things being fair or unfair. However, it's more complicated than that. What is the source of our rights? Who has the authority to tell us what our rights are? In your assigned readings, Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr. make theological arguments (our rights come from God or "Nature''s God). Some 19th Century Progressives argued that our rights came from government. Some of our nation''s founders and framers argued that the role of government is to protect our rights.
As we explore our own Constitution, we realize that in addition to outlining how our government operates, it also lists many of the rights that Americans have come to expect. You will notice that in its initial version, the Constitution did not include a mention of our rights. Thomas Jefferson was adamant that our rights be recorded in the Constitution and thus was born, The Bill of Rights (which are the first ten amendments).
[Research indicates that only 28% of Americans have read the Constitution. Source:
https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/survey-u-s-admires-but-hasn-t-read-constitution/article_a4d58bd4-3e2d-50e3-859b-fcede87ec145.html
[Only 36% of Americans can name all three branches of our government. Source:
https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/survey-u-s-admires-but-hasn-t-read-constitution/article_a4d58bd4-3e2d-50e3-859b-fcede87ec145.html
Part A: In a reflection piece, examine the three documents: The U.S. Constitution (1787), France's Declarations of Human and Civic Rights (1789), and the United Nation's The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Find examples of four rights that are shared by all three documents. Think about this a moment: where do our rights come from? Speculate on how the authors of these documents knew which rights to include. What can we surmise by finding a shared body of rights in all three documents?
Part B: Write a formal letter to all of your Congressmen (House of Representatives and Senators) from your state, (Research and find the contact information for your own Congressmen) asking them to propose a new amendment and why (see below). It must contain a good balance of emotion and passion, and the necessary facts and research to be a viable amendment. You can write just one letter, but you must research your state's Congress(wo)man and find their contact information and list them at the end of your letter. You must be persuasive and convince your state''s Congressmen to believe in your viewpoint and help you get the new amendment proposed. Be sure to cite at least three of the course's assigned reading articles in your research in order to to give credibility to your proposal. Choose either A or B below.
A). Find a right in France's, Declarations of Human and Civic Rights of 26 August 1789 that is NOT found in the American Constitution. Discuss why, or why not, this right should be included in the U.S. Constitution. Support your position using supporting research from your course readings and/or other outside sources. Include a references slide at the end of your presentation. Please note, these documents were written in the same era. How might that have been an issue? Also be aware that France had suffered a bloody revolution while the United States, relatively speaking, did not. Consider how pluralism and the changing demographics of American society might impact how American's would view a potential new right added to the Constitution. Please note in Federalist Paper No. 10 Madison's view on the obligations of the "majority" in society.
(OR)
B). Find a right in the United Nation's, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights that is NOT found in the American Constitution. Discuss why, or why not, this right should be included in the U.S. Constitution. Support your position using supporting research from your course readings and/or other outside sources. Include a references slide at the end of your presentation. Please note, these documents were written more than 150 years apart from each other. How might that have been an issue? Also, the United Nation's document was written shortly after the end of WWII and at the start of the so-called, Cold War. Consider how pluralism and the changing demographics of American society including the pending Civil Rights movement might impact how American's would view a potential new right added to the Constitution. Please note in Federalist Paper No. 10 Madison's view on the obligations of the "majority" in society.