As we have seen this semester, civil liberties and homeland security can often appear to be two goals that are at odds with one another. Protecting the freedom and privacy of the American citizenry often limits the government’s ability to provide security to them, yet at the same time, the pursuit of maximum security can sometimes entail a curtailment of civil liberties for the citizenry.

For your final paper, address the foregoing topic and explain how the federal government has attempted to strike a balance between protecting civil liberties, while simultaneously working toward its goal of protecting the homeland.

– Choose ONE of the topics we have previously discussed this semester to focus your discussion for this paper and answer the following questions thoroughly:

1. With respect to your chosen topic, what limitations/restraints were placed on the government in order to safeguard civil liberties?

2. In what ways were the American peoples’ civil liberties limited/curtailed by the government in the pursuit of homeland security and what justified those limitations?

3. Come to a conclusion about whether you believe the government is achieving a good balance between these two interests.

– This is NOT merely an opinion essay — you MUST use caselaw, statutory law, the textbook, and other relevant sources to justify your conclusions, otherwise they will be of little value.

– You should NOT regurgitate/replicate a prior discussion board/essay. You can use some of that prior work to help, but I’m looking for new writing and analysis in this essay, grounded in a topic we’ve already addressed.

– The overall goal of this paper is to reflect on an important issue in homeland security and to explain how the government achieved a balancing of interests between civil liberties and national security.

– Because this is your final paper, I am expecting it to be the culmination of all your hard work and learning this semester. I’m expecting you to demonstrate your BEST writing, grammar, citation, and analysis. Impress me.

– You MUST cite the course textbook in support of your arguments. Online sources may help supplement your arguments, but they may not constitute your only sources of citation. You must use parenthetical citations as well as end citations in APA format.

– Your final paper should be 3-4 double-spaced pages in length. I am looking for QUALITY over QUANTITY here. Don’t waste my time with empty rhetoric — directly address the questions posed and make the most compelling arguments you can. Do not use excessive quotations to fill space.