Unit 2 Individual Agency and Action

Introduction

Unit/Module 2 provides a foundation for understanding the civil rights and liberties of Americans. It answers some fundamental questions, e.g., Can the government promote racial bias? Is affirmative action racist? What the rights of criminal defendants? ,We explore America’s constitution from the Bill of Rights, through modern times, including the Supreme Court's interpretation of the rights.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

Define civil liberties and civil rights
Describe the conceptual origin of civil liberties and how the Founding Fathers adopted them.
Identify the key positions on civil liberties taken at the Constitutional Convention.
Explain how the Civil War and post Civil War amendments/legislation changed civil rights in America.

You Will Demonstrate Mastery of Unit 2

By being able to:

Compare and contrast civil liberties and civil rights.
Explain the influence of John Locke and Adam Smith on the Constitution.
Explain how a) the 14^th Amendment (1868) fundamentally altered the relationship between the states and federal government, and b) how the Bill of Rights was selectively incorporated into the 14^th Amendment over 150 years.
Apply your learning to current events, specifically the "Politics in the News" discussion boa