Christopher Columbus High School

Mr. Juan Ramon Rios

Constitutional Law: Web quest

Using the PPA

Fourth Amendment Debate;

Unreasonable Searches and Seizures

Introduction:

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon building in Washington, D.C., Americans woke up to a new world. Coupled with the anthrax scare, Americans began to worry terrorists were in every corner, in every city. In seeking to allay this fear, President Bush created a new Cabinet position and government office called the Office of Homeland Security. The President and the Attorney General asked Congress to pass legislation giving federal law enforcement greater tools with which to fight terrorism. In the past month, President Bush and the Office of Homeland Security introduced a sweeping anti-terrorism bill to Congress. It contains provisions which greatly enhance the government’s ability to monitor the activities of individuals suspected of terrorist activities or engaged in terrorist behavior. Many Americans and civil rights organizations are concerned that this legislation will allow the government to infringe upon our individual right to privacy, our Fourth Amendment freedoms.

The Task:

Congratulations! Your efforts to learn constitutional law at Christopher Columbus High School is duly noted. You are therefore appointed as lead counsel on the debate over the proposed anti-terrorism bill. Since you will be testifying before the Special Senate Committee for Homeland Security you will need to be adequately prepared to address any and all concerns of the committee members and the American people. The best way to prepare for your testimony is to practice debating the issue with other members of your legal team. This will ensure that you are familiar with all of the key issues that may be presented during the hearings.

The Debate:

For the debate, the class will be divided into three parts:

of 1.The Affirmative: Prepares opening statement, rebuttal and closing statement agreeing and supporting the resolution.

2. The Negative: Prepares opening statement, rebuttal and closing statement disagreeing with and refuting the resolution.

3. The Reporters: Prepares questions for both sides of the resolution for a post-debate news conference.

The opening statement presents the key issues of the position you are taking supported by factual data and evidence and persuades a panel of judges that your position is valid. The rebuttal attempts to refute the arguments and evidence of your opponents opening statement. The closing reaffirms the strength and validity your opening statement while reiterating the weaknesses of your opponents’.

Time limits:

Opening statements are a maximum three minutes in length; rebuttal, one minute; closing statement, one minute.

The Process:

Preparing for such a task would normally require an extensive research team and a retainer fee of about $500,000. Unfortunately, you will get neither. But fortunately, we have been able to do some of the initial research for you.

In order to facilitate your research and preparation, several useful web sites have been included below. They need to be separated into three categories: Sites for the affirmative, the negative and general reference. You should visit all of the sites, gather information and take notes before preparing your oral arguments.

Though you will be assigned to only one of these groups, it is essential that you are well versed on both sides of the issue. This will ensure that you can fend off any counter arguments that your opponents may raise during rebuttal. When preparing your arguments it is important to present primarily factual and historical evidence rather than emotional and/or personal arguments.

All students are responsible for the research of the arguments surrounding this Fourth amendment issue. From that point your individual responsibilities will differ.

Debaters will submit their opening statements, rebuttals and closing statements.

Reporters will be responsible for submitting a summary of the key arguments of both the affirmative and negative sides, a set of three or more intelligent questions to ask the panel of debaters as well as a 100 word column for the newspaper you write for describing this momentous debate.

Debaters will be evaluated thusly:

Demonstration of a thorough understanding of the issues.
Logically presents the argument for their position.
Follows proper debate format and decorum.

Reporters will be evaluated thusly:

Questions demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues.
Column logically and clearly summarizes the arguments presented by both affirmative and negative positions on the issue.

The tips public policy analyst

This is a Constitutional Law issue but you can use the

TIPS Public Policy Analyst to help complete your task. Click on the links below and complete the worksheets on each web page. Use the Internet resources below and your knowledge to complete the sheets. You will then have both background and substance for your arguments.

1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM INVOLVING THE PATRIOT ACT & THE FOURTH AMENDMENT

2: GATHER EVIDENCE FOR THE PROBLEM AS SEEN IN

AMERICAN SOCIETY

3: FIND THE CAUSES FOR THE PROBLEM

4: EVALUATE THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY AS STATED IN

THE PATRIOT ACT

5: SUGGEST SOLUTIONS FOR THE DILEMNA

6: SELCT THE BEST SOLUTION

YOU MAY USE SOME OR ALL OF THIS INFORMATIUON IN YOUR DEBATE ------- GOOD LUCK !

Resources:

Below you will find Internet resources and hyperlinks that will help you to prepare your arguments. You will visit these sites as well as well as more traditional sources of information to prepare for the debate. Remember to consider both sides of the issue so that your rebuttal will be as effective as your opening statement. Gather information and take notes as you go. You can never know when a minor point may become a useful tool in your argument, so be prepared!

SPECIFIC WEB SITES

www.Findlaw.com

www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal

http://supt.law.cornell.edu./supct/

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/fos/

Patriot Bill

USA/Patriot Act

American Civil Liberties Union

GENERAL WEB SITES TO BE USED

www.google.com

www.yahoo.com

www.askjeeves.com

Evaluation:

Class Debate : PATRIOT ACT

Teacher Name: J. RIOS

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4 EXCELLENT	3 VERY GOOD	2 SATISFACTORY	1 UNSATISFACTORY
Information	All information presented in the debate was clear, accurate and thorough.	Most information presented in the debate was clear, accurate and thorough.	Most information presented in the debate was clear and accurate, but was not usually thorough.	Information had several inaccuracies OR was usually not clear.
Rebuttal	All counter-arguments were accurate, relevant and strong.	Most counter-arguments were accurate, relevant, and strong.	Most counter-arguments were accurate and relevant, but several were weak.	Counter-arguments were not accurate and/or relevant
Use of Facts/Statistics	Every major point was well supported with several relevant facts, statistics and/or examples.	Every major point was adequately supported with relevant facts, statistics and/or examples.	Every major point was supported with facts, statistics and/or examples, but the relevance of some was questionable.	Every point was not supported.
Presentation Style	Team consistently used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience.	Team usually used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience.	Team sometimes used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience.	One or more members of the team had a presentation style that did not keep the attention of the audience.
Organization	All arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) and organized in a tight, logical fashion.	Most arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) and organized in a tight, logical fashion.	All arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) but the organization was sometimes not clear or logical.	Arguments were not clearly tied to an idea (premise).

GRADING by groups: A=16-20 points b=12-15 points

C=8-11 points F=below 7 points

Conclusion:

The debate over Fourth Amendment Rights and civil liberties does not end today. It continues in the halls of Capitol Hill and in the homes of Americans. Hopefully, at the end of this exercise you will be armed and ready to intelligently participate in the national debate over the USA/PATRIOT Act.

Thomas.loc.gov , House.gov, Whitehouse.gov, are hyperlinks to the addresses and E-Mails of the President of the United States, U.S. Senators and representatives. Write a letter to your Senator or the President Etc. and tell them how you feel about the issue. Take part in the political process! Remember, you will all be voting in the Presidential Election of 2008.

THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION

EVALUATION

Social Studies

Students will: use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

Civics, Citizenship,
and Government

Key Idea 1: The study of civics, citizenship, and government involves learning about political systems; the purposes of government and civic life; and the differing assumptions held by people across time and place regarding power, authority, governance, and law. (Adapted from The National Standards for Civics and Government, 1994)

Language Arts

E1c: Read and Comprehend information materials

E2a: Produce a report of information

E3b: Participate in group meetings