October 2, 2002 - Gun Laws

Are we safe?

Look at the links below and think about how guns and violence have changed your lives. Then in 200 words or more answer the following questions.

Why do so many people think guns are "cool"? Are we safe? How has violence/guns affected your life? Should there be a change made to the 2nd amendment? Should there be more strict laws and punishments for those who use guns illegally?

2002 - The Beltway sniper attacks begin, extending over three weeks.
2006 - Five school girls are murdered by Charles Carl Roberts in a shooting at an Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania before Roberts commits suicide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir-crime-murders-with-firearms

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution (Amendment II) is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the pre-existing individual right to possess and carry weapons (i.e. "keep and bear arms") in case of confrontation. Codification of the right to keep and bear arms into the Bill of Rights was influenced by a fear that the federal government would disarm the people in order to impose rule through a standing army or select militia, since history had shown the way tyrants eliminated resistance to suppression of political opponents was to simply take away the people's arms and make it an offense to keep them.

September 25, 1957

PBS Video

May 17th, 1954
Brown vs Board of Education

On September 25, 1957, nine black students entered the school under the protection of 1,000 armed members of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army.

After watching the above video and skimming the Wikipedia site, in 200 words or more comment on the following questions:

Think about integration of nationality, religion, race, social economic and other determining factors.

What is integration? Should integration be instated again? Are there benefits to integration?



Little Rock, AR

September 15, 1935

On September 15th, 1935 Germany enacted a set of laws infringing on the Jewish religion. The Nuremburg laws were the first set of laws to deny basic rights to Jews throughout Germany.

Eventually these laws were further defined to deny even the right to live for members of the Jewish faith, leading to the Holocaust.

The Nuremberg Laws
What is a jew?

In 200 words or more answer/discuss the following questions.

What is equality? Are we all equal? Are some people better than others? Who has the right to take away the rights of another?

September 11th, 2001

1. Watch the video listed below or the video provided by your teacher, look at the wikipedia link and read several postings from the SHS Constitution Day blog then proceed to question 2.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=cb1627a2044908a42fdc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks

http://shsconstitutiondayblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-does-freedom-mean-to-you.html

2. In 200 words or more answer the following question. Remember to include only your first name and the period you have class

What is freedom? How do feel to be an American or live in America?