Reflection Paper #2

            Chapter
four and chapter five discuss civil liberties and civil rights. In chapter
four, I have reviewed amendments that correlate to the civil liberties of
United States citizens. In this chapter, the book discusses the Bill of Rights,
amendments that relate to civil liberties, the definition of civil liberty,
supreme court cases, and more.  In chapter
five, the book discusses civil rights, this includes several civil right
movements, history, amendments, and more.

With
civil rights and civil liberties, this includes state and federal government.

When there is conflict between the two, there then is the Supremacy Clause. The
Supremacy Clause requires that all state judges must obey the federal law when
there is a conflict between federal law and state law. The “Supremacy” Clause defines
that the federal law is the supreme law of the land. A strength of the
Supremacy Clause is that every decision the United States makes will be
constitutional. The constitution creates the foundation of the United States; without
the constitution, the United States would not have the ideals the founding
fathers desired. The clause can be a strength when solving complex issues. For
example, if a state government wanted to switch their learning curriculum to outline
the bible, the federal law has established the separation between church and
state. The federal law would be the supreme law in this case.

In
contrast, the Supremacy Clause has limitations. The clause has a limitation
when in consideration of diverse state ideals. Different state ideals may
conflict with the federal law. One instance being the legalization of
marijuana. Federal law claims that marijuana is an illegal substance but states
have found ways to legalize marijuana in their state. A limitation is the
states will find ways around the clause when there are enough citizens
supporting the cause. In regards of both strengths and limitations, I believe
the nation needs the Supremacy Clause to keep a balance between state and
federal governments, and the clause is needed to maintain American ideals,
including the changing ideals.

In
chapter four, the book goes into detail about the Bill of Rights. The Bill of
Rights are the first ten amendments in the Constitution ensuring certain liberties
that the American people have. The first amendment includes: freedom of
religion, freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, and freedom of the press. The
first amendment is extremely crucial to my everyday life because I can freely
practice my religion, speak without fear, obtain information from the press,
and so forth.

America
has an extremely diverse population, with this, there are several cultures and
religions. As an Asian-American citizen, my religion is different from the
majority and the free exercise clause allows me to continue the practice of my
culture. One of the reasons why I chose to become a political science major was
because of the knowledge I obtained from school and several news outlets. I am
very intrigued by new political changes and I’m allowed to learn because of the
freedom of the press. An aspect of my major is that I have to be able to state
my opinions and freely express my thoughts, having knowledge of student speech
and what speech is not “hate speech” or causes danger allows me to properly
present myself.

In
chapter four, the book discusses the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth amendments.

These amendments all have to do with the justice legal system. The fourth protecting
from unreasonable searches and seizures. The fifth protecting from double
jeopardy. The sixth protecting the right to receive counsel, and the eighth amendment
protects cruel and unusual punishment.  These
civil liberties protect me and the people of the United States every day, with
these amendments the citizens know they will be properly protected and represented.

Chapter
five starts by discussing the history, future, and importance of civil rights.

As mentioned earlier, the United States is a diverse nation. With the different
races, ages, sexualities genders, etc., America has to maintain civil rights
for their citizens. The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments all are
new forms of civil change for African Americans. The fight for civil rights has
been a long journey and is still not over. After segregation, the Jim crow
laws, and several other events the civil rights movement occurred.

As
a result of the fight for civil rights, several people are allowed to proudly
and safely live in this country. Civil rights allow every citizen of any race,
gender, sexuality, etc. to have an equal opportunity to participate in America.

A current issue in civil rights is the wage gap. The book mentions that Asian
American women face the highest wage gap. This affects me because I am
attending college and may possibly not get the same wage as a male who has the
same credentials as me. This affects not only me, but other women in America.

Chapter
four and five outlined many current day issues and historical events. I have
learned and reviewed material from these two chapters. Having knowledge of the
civil liberties I have as a citizen will benefit me in the legal sense, and
having knowledge of the civil rights I have will benefit me every day and
encourage myself to fight for civil rights.