Civil Liberties

The United States had faced numerous times of crisis at different points in history. This included the three major wars that America was involved in, the Civil War, World War I and World War II. The United States federal government had taken certain aspects into their own hands, and made decisions which they felt could positively affect the outcome of American personal life and economy. Within these decisions was the overall suspension of certain civil liberties. During World War II, the Japanese citizens of the United States were forced out of where they lived in places like California and moved into what could be perceived as concentration camps. The Constitution was created so that all citizens of the United States could have their own rights and be protected. In the suspension of these civil liberties from the federal government imposed on the Japanese, the Constitution was ignored. The government is not justified in its suspension of civil liberties during a time of crisis because the Constitution gives all citizens their own rights.

There were times during American history when a national crisis imposed the United States government to take action and try to make America safer. During the Civil War, the government suspended the writ of habeas corpus to detain any unlawful citizens of both the union and the Confederacy, which many saw justified. The rule that went alongside the habeas corpus was that it could be suspended if appropriately determined by the federal government. According to the Constitution,Article One Section Nine, it states, “The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it”. During the Civil War, rebellions and betrayals were common and Abraham Lincoln thought that detaining the wrongdoers was best for the country. According to the Constitution, this suspension of habeas corpus was justified and legal. Even though the citizens civil liberties...