Document 1: Brandenburg v. Ohio Case Brief
Brandenburg, a leader in the Ku Klux Klan, made a speech at a Klan rally and was later convicted under
an Ohio organized crime law. The law made illegal advocating "crime, sabotage, violence, or unlawful methods
of terrorism as a means of accomplishing industrial or political reform," as well as assembling "with any society,
group, or assemblage of persons formed to teach or advocate the doctrines of organized crime."
The Court's opinion held that the Ohio law violated Brandenburg's right to free speech. The Court used a
two-pronged test to evaluate speech acts: (1) speech can be prohibited if it is "directed at inciting or producing
imminent lawless action" and (2) it is "likely to incite or produce such action." The criminal syndicalism act
made illegal the advocacy and teaching of doctrines while ignoring whether or not that advocacy and teaching
would actually incite imminent lawless action. The failure to make this distinction rendered the law overly broad
and in violation of the Constitution.
Is the government protecting individual rights in this case? Explain.
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Is the government maintaining order in this case? Explain.
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Do you agree with the final action taken? Explain.
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Document 2: Article from Huffington Post: “Wiretapping Laws May Change to
Include Internet Communication” 5/8/13
The FBI currently is authorized to access phone correspondence by the Communications Assistance for Law
Enforcement Act, which requires phone companies to allow the government (with a court order) to directly
intercept any communication. Some have suggested that this means that there is a database of recordings of all
phone calls being stored by the government.
Tech companies, on the other hand, are not required to give the government direct access to communications.
Currently, authorities must ask companies like Google and Facebook for access to conversations. If there is a
court order issued to the company within 180 days of the correspondence, emails can be found and read. If the
180 day mark has passed, the government is out of luck.
Is the government protecting individual rights in this case? Explain.
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Is the government maintaining order in this case? Explain.
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Do you agree with the final action taken? Explain.
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Document 3: New York Times Article: “President Eisenhower Sends Troops to
Little Rock” 9/24/57
President Eisenhower sent Federal troops to Little Rock, Ark., today to open the way for the admission of nine
Negro pupils to Central High School.
Earlier, the President federalized the Arkansas National Guard and authorized calling the Guard and regular
Federal forces to remove obstructions to justice in Little Rock school integration.
His history-making action was based on a formal finding that his "cease and desist" proclamation, issued last
night, had not been obeyed. Mobs of pro-segregationists still gathered in the vicinity of Central High School this
morning.
Tonight, from the White House, President Eisenhower told the nation in a speech for radio and television that he
had acted to prevent "mob rule" and "anarchy."
Is the government protecting individual rights in this case? Explain.
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Is the government maintaining order in this case? Explain.
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Do you agree with the final action taken? Explain.
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Document 4: Facts in the case Miranda v. Arizona
The victim stood up and looked at each of the people in the police lineup. She turned to the
officers and identified Ernesto Miranda as the man who had kidnapped and raped her. The
Mexican immigrant was arrested and, after being questioned for two hours, Miranda confessed to
the crimes in writing. He also acknowledged that he was aware of his right not to incriminate
himself. His conviction, however, was overturned by the Supreme Court in this landmark case,
Miranda v. Arizona (1966), as the police had not directly informed Miranda of the rights protected
by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments.
Is the government protecting individual rights in this case? Explain.
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Is the government maintaining order in this case? Explain.
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Do you agree with the final action taken? Explain.
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Question: has the United States been more concerned with maintaining law and
order or protecting the individual rights of US citizens?
Step 1: Read and annotate the documents
Step 2: Answer the questions below the documents
Step 3: Create a thesis to answer the question.
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Step 4: Explain how at least three of the documents prove your thesis.
a) Document #:
and explanation…
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b) Document #:
and explanation…
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c) Document #:
and explanation…
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Step 5: Write an intro paragraph…