Pros And Cons Of The USA Patriot Act

After the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 the United States became a very different place. This drastic change was caused by the initial emotional reactions that American citizens, as well as government leaders had towards the tragic event. The government, in an effort to assure that these events never happen again passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which is an acronym that stands for the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act. The major goal of this act is to combat terrorism by giving the government more leeway in what areas they are allowed to use their surveillance tools and also to what circumstances these tools can be used. The major issue that arise with this act are the fact that many of the act can be seen as unconstitutional.

On September 11th, 2001 the future of the United States changed forever. With almost 3,000 people dying from a terrorist attack that spanned the Eastern U.S., new tactics had to be created to prevent an event like this from ever happening again. Forty-five days after the attack, the USA Patriot Act was passed (Source 5). While only some Americans approved of it, the act was created to protect from terrorism across the country.

What defines the USA PATRIOT Act and how did it come to be? Also known as the Patriot Act, this acronym stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. On October 26, 2001, President George W. Bush signed this act into law. The sole purpose of this act is to give government agencies the tools

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress sprang into action. Within a month, U.S. lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the USA Patriot Act of 2001, giving law enforcement and intelligence agent’s broader authority to fight terrorists operating in the United States.

This Act may be cited as the "Uniting and Strengthening America Act" by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism. President Bush signed the Patriot Act on October 29, 2001. It passed and with no debate voted on; many members of congress did not fully read the act. Due to the anthrax scare many Congressman did not have access to their offices. Attorney General John Ashcroft silenced any debate by warning that anyone who contested the Act would be "akin to a traitor abetting the terrorist."(Podesta, 2001) Congress had rejected many of the provisions previously debated. It was a recycled compilation of many extreme "wish lists." In the post 9/11 wake of fear, it became a reality.

The Patriot Act was signed into law on October 26, 2001 by President George W. Bush. The act expanded the surveillance capability of both domestic law enforcement and international intelligence agencies. When this law was passed it was under the assumption “to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes” (The USA Patriot). The Patriot Act has given the government the power to spy on the average American through monitoring phone records and calls, gaining banking and credit information, and even track a person’s internet activity. This is an unbelievable amount of power intelligence agencies wield all under the umbrella of national security. This power has gone too far, is unjustified, unconstitutional, and infringes on the privacy of the

The USA PATRIOT Act was a piece of legislation that was signed into law to address the realities of modern terrorism. The new breed of terrorism was sophisticated and used new technologies that, according to the President, “were not available at the time that the existing laws were written”, he said in his speech during the bill signing press event on October 26. 2001; a fair argument. He said “The bill before me takes account of the new realities and dangers posed by modern terrorists” and the Patriot Act was “an essential step in defeating terrorism while protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans”. But how does the Patriot Act do that? How does it protect the constitutional rights of Americans? How does it help defeat

Shortly after the terrorist attack on the united states on September 11, 2001, president at the time George W. Bush enacted the USA Patriot Act. George bush has been quoted Stating “Terrorism against our nation will not stand” (Jones 2) a message which was hit home by the enactment of the USA Patriot Act. The Patriot Act gives law enforcement agencies increased powers enabling them to apprehend terrorist. The USA Patriot Act was enacted by congress on October 26, 2001, with the idea that it would help a crippled nation combat terrorism. The act of terrorism which is described as the act of using violence to gain political ground. According to James A. Morone author of the text “By the People Debating American Government” “The USA Patriot Act gave police and security personnel far more latitude to monitor, search, and detain suspects both abroad and at home” (Morone 683). The USA Patriot Act forfeits certain constitutional rights afforded by the constitution in an attempt of keeping the United States free of terrorism, On may 26, 2011 current president Barack Obama signed the Patriot Sunset extension act of 2011. The Patriot Sunset Extension Act of 2011 is a four year extension of three important provisions of the USA Patriot Act which has proved effective when combating terrorism. The extension extended the three of the most controversial aspects of the Patriot Act. Wiretaps, searches of public records and the conduction of surveillance of individuals suspected of

Within weeks after September 11, 2001, the Patriot Act was passed in order to unify the nation and to deter future terrorist acts. Although the act was created with upright intentions to prevent future tragedies similar to that of September 11, its provisions clearly violate the United States Constitution, especially the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.

Despite being the superpower of the world, the United States of America does not enjoy any exception from the global threats and challenges. The people in denial of such global threats finally woke up to the reality on the dawn of September 11th, 2001, when terrorists struck American financial hub in the city of New York. A badly shaken nation shocked by the magnitude of brutality quickly assembled behind its president to pass a legislation, known as the USA Patriot Act, to tackle internal and external threats to this nation on a war footing basis. The haste with which this legislation was passed made it controversial almost immediately. No doubt, the intent was valid and there was an absolute need to tackle threats to the homeland, however,

On the recovery from the 9/11 attacks, the act institutes a new authority that America had not seen before. The act is all about the prevention of attacks not reacting to them. In addition, it has done more; broadening its influence to almost all crime, it convicts not only terrorists, but also drug lords, cyber attackers, and even thefts. The act also implemented a new and more efficient way of investigation and conviction. The PATRIOT Act is protecting what it means to be American. In the wise words of George Washington, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving

The terrorist attack on September 11th by the Islamic group al-Qaeda prompt President Bush on October 26, 2011, to sign the Patriot Act into law with the help of Congress. This act was created to take measures to protect the citizens, by bringing in more troops and military units. Giving law enforcement more power to prevent and detect terrorism. The power to use surveillance, wiretaps and conduct investigations. This law still has citizens concern with their civil liberties and data privacy.

The USA Patriot Act By: Josh Rozdolsky United States History Saleh July 20th, 2016 The USA PATRIOT is an acronym for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” (the USA Patriot Act). It was made to provide the United States government with certain tools and weapons to fight against terrorism around the globe. The USA Patriot Act violates American civil liberties and is unconstitutional by restricting the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights.

13 days after the attacks of 9/11 the government implemented the Patriot Act, in which instituted "a new crime called ‘domestic terrorism,’ defined as ‘acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States,’ when the actor’s intent is to ‘influence the policy of a government by intimidation of coercion" (Benson et al., 3). How did the USA Patriot act come to be present in our system today? To relieve the government's concerns and cool the widespread public anxiety, the Patriot Act was presented to Congress bypresident George W. Bush in an extensive 342 page document. Three days after the presentaion , it was passed through congress onOctober 26, 2001 - practically unanimous as the House of Representatives passed it 357-66 and the Senate a staggering 98-1 (1). Albeit "the USA Patriot Act was approved by Congress and the president without the normal procedural review processes of intensive debateand hearings" in 2001, it was later re-passed in 2005 with more evident thought (Zusman and Helfand 1). In 2005 Congress took ninemonths to repass it, doing so on March 9, 2006 (Benson et al.,

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. With its ten-letter backronym (USA PATRIOT) expanded, the full