Writer's Block

[martymcfly]

I have a research paper on the Patriot Act due tomorrow and I have major writer's block.

 

To help me get past a hurdle, should I classify the issue as a "Rights of the Accused" issue or a "Civil Liverties" issue?

[Kash]

What exactly is the topic/question?

 

Instead of focusing on the people at the receiving end of the act, you can also try focusing on those it was designed for (i.e. law enforcement). Increased powers sort of stuff.

[martymcfly]

Actually, I ended up changing my topic to . marriage. It seems like it will be easier because I can discuss it in terms of civil rights.

The topic was "enduring constitutional issues". I had to discuss a theme (like civil liberties, rights of the accused, wartime powers of the president, etc.) in terms of past events and recent events.

 

So far, I have 1.5 double spaced pages (note, the last paragraph is incomplete):

Various enduring constitutional issues have followed the American people ever since the country

Edited November 12, 2006 by martymcfly

[Kamikaze_Badger]

That should be "all men are created equal,", not "all men are created equal",

 

You fail .

[gotdamojo06]

martymcfly, where do you go to school?

[Silverfox]

this might sound odd, but, if you are suffering a block as such, listen to some REAL music...as in...Mozart, Beethoven or Bach etc...I've got to admit it's NOT my usual taste, but it is good for getting relaxed and makes your mind chill out I've got to apply for loads of graduate jobs, and it's helped me get a creative spark and write some really good stuff - which hopefully means i'll get an interview

 

so maybe give it a go? im sure you know what you need to get in that essay (you're brainy lol) so its just a case of extracting it!

 

oh and next time, not leaving it so late!

[martymcfly]

martymcfly, where do you go to school?

Roslyn HS, NY

 

Oh yes, and can somebody please tell me what they think of it so far:

Various enduring constitutional issues have followed the American people ever since the country’s foundation.  One of these issues is that of equality.  Equality is heralded as one of the things that make America great.  It is written in our Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal”, but this has been a point of contention during the past 200 years, even in modern times.  Different interpretations of equality cause people’s opinion to differ on who should be considered equal, on when equality can go too far, and on many other points.  The most recent major national conflict involving equality is the issue of whether or not homosexuals should be allowed the same right to marry as heterosexuals.
At the conception of America, when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he wrote the following:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
While, at the time, this did not actually establish a system in which all people were treated equally, it did set the philosophy of our country.  It meant that America was a place of opportunity, where we were guaranteed rights, a drastic change from countries in Europe.  It meant that everybody would be looked at the same way in the eyes of the law.  
However, these words meant nothing as long as slavery existed.  Abraham Lincoln believed strongly in those powerful words of Jefferson and thought it wrong that a race of people were treated as inferior to white people.  He believed that slavery undermined a fundamental value of the country.  Of the potential rise to power of the know-nothing party, Lincoln said, “When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty…”  At the end of the Civil War, the slaves were emancipated, a major stride in civil rights and a move toward equality in America.
The battle for the recognition of equality of minorities has been a major struggle since the end of the civil war as well.  In 1896, the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Fergusson established the concept of “separate but equal” segregation of Caucasian and African-American people.  This meant that it was alright for race to be a factor in a legal decision as long as it didn’t deprive anybody of rights. (Plessy v. Fergusson)  This was progress, but almost 60 years later, it was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which concluded that “separate but equal educational facilities are inherently unequal.”  This decision, by extrapolation, meant that the entire concept of “separate but equal” was unconstitutional. (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka)  The case was a huge step forward in the beginning of the civil rights movement.  This movement gained momentum until its climax in the 1960s, but it continues in a mild form today.  Similar civil rights movements, such as the women’s rights movement, have also been for the most part successful in giving minority groups rights that the majority has had for over two centuries.
The homosexual rights movement is the latest of these movements.  Its main purpose is to give people who are attracted to others of the same gender the same rights as those attracted to the opposite gender.  What separates this from other civil rights struggles involving races or genders is that physically, there is not a difference between homo- and heterosexual people.  However, critics of their way of life argue that homosexuality is unnatural or even morally reprehensible.  The religious factions of the country believe that homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of God and some extremists commit hate crimes against homosexual individuals. 

Edited November 13, 2006 by martymcfly

[ic3_man]

Elaborate on the word "it" also your topic is homosexual marriage, but about 2 paragraphs in, you deviate the paper to slavery. So you might want to include slavery as point in your first paragraph then moving onto homosexual marriage or if you're talking about a series of civil liberties then try and incorporate it into the thesis statement.

 

Something like this to enxompass everything:

"Through US history, the civil liberties movement has included, but not limited to, segregation, women's suffrage, and more recently homosexual marriage"

 

Otherwise it looks good, I have a writer's cramp too right now ><

 

EDIT: looks like occ censors some words?

Edited November 13, 2006 by ic3_man

[martymcfly]

I got it back today. A+! Thanks for your help, guys.

[Kamikaze_Badger]

It would have been an A- if not for that puncuation I took note of .