Civil liberties in the US post-September 11 : sacrificing first, fourth and fifth amendment rights in the name of the war on terror

Abstract

The following dissertation attempts to understand civil liberties violations, specifically those protected by the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution, that have occurred post-September 11 in the current US presidential administration's policies and legislation. Firstly, civil liberties restrictions since the beginning of US history, exclusively during times of crises, are examined in brief. Concluding that these violations have been proven unnecessary in maintaining US national security, the author moves on to examine the current restrictions in detail, by examining the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and the policies of the Bush administration, and listing the specific civil liberties violations existing in each. The author concludes that the civil liberties violations existing in current US policy and legislation are unconstitutional and have nothing to do with maintaining nation security on many accounts and only serves to broaden the scope and powers of government agencies, while providing no security promised to the Americans that have unwittingly sacrificed their individual freedoms that are guaranteed to them by the US Constitution.