A3 Civil Rights Citizenship And Participation 
Unit 3: Civil Rights, Citizenship, and Civic Participation
This Unit Activity will help you meet these educational goals:
Inquiry Skills—You will identify and analyze real-world public problems, contribute appropriately to public deliberations, evaluate and use evidence, develop explanations and make persuasive arguments in support of your conclusions, and communicate your conclusions.
21st Century Skills—you will employ online tools for research and analysis, use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, independently raise questions and pursue leads, and communicate effectively.
Introduction
This unit ties together the ideas of individual rights and civil rights that is protected by the Constitution. In the first task of this unit activity, you will explore individual rights in more depth and examine how these rights can sometimes be at odds with protecting the good of all people.
In this unit, you also looked at ways in which an individual or a group of individuals can influence the political process and even affect the way the government is run. In the second task, you will think of an issue that is important to you and communicate your thoughts about it to one of your representatives in Congress.
__________________________________________________________________________
Directions and Analysis
Task 1: Balancing Liberty, Order, and Democracy
A balancing act occurs in US government and society between the rights of individuals and the maintenance of the common good, which can affect the whole country.
a. Write a 250- to 500-word argumentative essay on one of the listed topics. Choose a topic that you find interesting or is somehow relevant to you:
Why are there laws limiting the freedom of speech?
Why is it important to balance majority rule with minority rights?
Is the use of civil disobedience warranted in response to laws that some people feel are unjust?
What is the correct balance between protecting the freedom of religion, maintaining the
This Unit Activity will help you meet these educational goals:
Inquiry Skills—You will identify and analyze real-world public problems, contribute appropriately to public deliberations, evaluate and use evidence, develop explanations and make persuasive arguments in support of your conclusions, and communicate your conclusions.
21st Century Skills—you will employ online tools for research and analysis, use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, independently raise questions and pursue leads, and communicate effectively.
Introduction
This unit ties together the ideas of individual rights and civil rights that is protected by the Constitution. In the first task of this unit activity, you will explore individual rights in more depth and examine how these rights can sometimes be at odds with protecting the good of all people.
In this unit, you also looked at ways in which an individual or a group of individuals can influence the political process and even affect the way the government is run. In the second task, you will think of an issue that is important to you and communicate your thoughts about it to one of your representatives in Congress.
__________________________________________________________________________
Directions and Analysis
Task 1: Balancing Liberty, Order, and Democracy
A balancing act occurs in US government and society between the rights of individuals and the maintenance of the common good, which can affect the whole country.
a. Write a 250- to 500-word argumentative essay on one of the listed topics. Choose a topic that you find interesting or is somehow relevant to you:
Why are there laws limiting the freedom of speech?
Why is it important to balance majority rule with minority rights?
Is the use of civil disobedience warranted in response to laws that some people feel are unjust?
What is the correct balance between protecting the freedom of religion, maintaining the