Readiness standards comprise 65% of the U. S. History Test

Economics 19 B

Readiness Standard (19)The Student understands changes over time in the role of

government

The Student is expected to:(B) Explain constitutional issues raised by federal government policy during times of

significant events, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the 1960s, &

9/11

Readiness Standard (19)The Student understands changes over time in the role of

government

The Student is expected to:(B) 1 Explain constitutional issues raised by

federal government policy during times of significant events, including World War I

TO WHAT EXTENT DOES GOVERNMENT HAVE THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO

INTERVENE?

The War at Home

• Committee on Public Information

“Victory at the front depended on economic and emotional mobilization at home. . . . Wilson moved

quickly in 1917 and 1918 to organize war production and distribution. An idealist who knew how to sway public opinion, he also recognized the need to enlist American emotions. To him, the war

for people’s minds, the ‘conquest of their convictions,’ was as vital as events on the

battlefield.”

Committee on Public Information

• Espionage Act of 1917—imposed sentences of up to 20 years for aiding the enemy, obstructing recruitment of soldiers, or aiding the enemy

• Trading-with-the-Enemy Act of 1917—Authorized government censorship of foreign language press

• Sedition Act of 1918—imposed harsh penalties for using “disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language” about the government, flag, or armed forces uniforms

Headed by George Creel (left), the CPI publicized the war. Through

use of the film industry, Americans saw Germans depicted as

bloodthirsty Huns with plans for world conquest. The campaign went

so far as re-naming traditional German items like sauerkraut

(which became “liberty cabbage”). The propaganda campaign was

quite successful in spawning anti-German sentiment throughout the country. Citizens gave lectures and encouraged the purchase of Liberty Bonds. Even the president himself

encouraged repression and promote unity by force.

One editor of the period observed, “We must make the world safe for democracy even if we have to

‘bean’ the Goddess of liberty to do it.” The government took advantage of these wartime

sentiments to launch a frontal assault on American socialism, not to mention dispatching some 15,000

American troops to overturn the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia after Lenin orchestrated

Russian withdrawal from the Allied war effort. The president authorized an economic blockade against Russia and refused to recognize Lenin’s Bolshevik

government. In doing all these things, Wilson and the government helped to promote the “Red Scare” that

arose after the war.

War Industries Board

• Oversight of production in all American factories

• Determination of production priorities

• Allocation of raw materials

• Set output quotas for steel

• Fixing of prices

Set up in 1917 by Wilson to increase production and control limited resources (rationing). The board’s tasks included:

Bernard Baruch (left) served as director of the War Industries Board.

“Working closely with business, Baruch for a time, acted as the

dictator of the American economy. . . . As never before, the

government intervened in American life. . . . The partnership between government and business grew

closer. As government expanded, business expanded as well,

responding to wartime contracts.”

National War Labor Board

• Created April 1918 to prevent strikes during the war

• Sided with management some, but more often with workers

• The war brought organized labor into partnership with government

Social Impact of the War

• 8 hour work day established in some industries

• Set standards of employment for women, children

• Demanded fair wages for workers

Working man—work conditions improved

Felix Frankfurter (right) headed the War Labor Relations Board

“Hoping to encourage production and avoid

strikes, Wilson adopted many of the

objectives of the social-justice reformers.”

The WLB:

• Standardized wages and hours

• Protected the right of labor to organize and bargain collectively

• Ordered equal pay for equal work by women in the war industries

The draft created a shortage of male labor in industry. Both African-American and Mexican-American workers stepped in to fill the gap. The former, who resided largely in the South, embarked upon a major northern exodus. There, they found

jobs and made new homes.

Increasing Food Supply at Home

• Meatless and breadless days

• planting “victory gardens” in backyards

Committee for Public Information

• Citizen lecturers gave pro-war speeches

• Encouraged Americans to buy Liberty Bonds

“Like most wars, World War I affected patterns at home as much as abroad. Business

profits grew, factories expanded, and industries turned out huge amounts of war goods. Government authority swelled, and

people came to expect different things of their government. Labor made some gains, as did

women and blacks. Society assimilated some of the shifts, but social and economic tensions grew, and when the war ended, they spilled over in the strikes and violence of the Red

Scare that followed.”

Readiness Standard (19)The Student understands changes over time in the role

of government

The Student is expected to:(B) 2 Explain constitutional issues raised by

federal government policy during times of significant events, including the Great

Depression

For a review of this standard, revisit Readiness Standard 19A F12-14, 17-20, 41-44, 46-48, 56-76, 81-84, 88, 91-92,

95-99. TO WHAT EXTENT DOES GOVERNMENT HAVE THE

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO INTERVENE?

Readiness Standard (19)The Student understands changes over time in the role of

government

The Student is expected to:(B) 3 Explain constitutional issues raised by

federal government policy during times of significant events, including World War II

For a review of this standard, revisit Readiness Standard 17A (1) F10-14 &

A (2) 1-20. TO WHAT EXTENT DOES GOVERNMENT HAVE

THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO INTERVENE?

Readiness Standard (19)The Student understands changes over time in the role

of government

The Student is expected to:(B) 4 Explain constitutional issues raised by federal government policy during times of significant events,

including the 1960s

See Readiness Standard 8 F (1), Frames 13-17 & Supporting Standard 23 B (3), Frames 16-20

As it had on many occasions before, use of the draft to staff the U. S. military needs (this time in

Vietnam) raised the issue of the degree to which and even the way in which the government had

control over the lives of its citizens. The 26th Amendment came into existence in response to this

very issue.

Readiness Standard (19)The Student understands changes over time in the role of

government

The Student is expected to:(B) 5 Explain constitutional issues raised by federal government policy during times of significant events,

including 9/11

What issues of personal freedoms have been raised by

9/11?

A “Top Ten” List follows:

1. Warrantless Wiretapping —tapping into telephone calls of Americans without a warrant, in violation of federal statutes and the Constitution. Furthermore, the agency had also gained direct access to the telecommunications infrastructure through some of America’s largest companies. And, the agency appears to have been not only eavesdropping on the conversations of Americans in this country without warrants, but also using broad “data mining” systems that allowed it to analyze information about the communications of millions of innocent people

within the United States.

1. Warrantless Wiretapping —tapping into telephone calls of Americans without a warrant, in violation of federal statutes and the Constitution. Furthermore, the agency had also gained direct access to the telecommunications infrastructure through some of America’s largest companies. And, the agency appears to have been not only eavesdropping on the conversations of Americans in this country without warrants, but also using broad “data mining” systems that allowed it to analyze information about the communications of millions of innocent people

within the United States.

2. Torture, Kidnapping and Detention — In the years since 9/11, our government has illegally kidnapped, detained and tortured numerous prisoners. The government

continues to claim that it has the power to designate anyone, including Americans as “enemy combatants” without charge. Since 2002, some “enemy combatants,” have been held at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, in some cases without access by the Red Cross. Investigations into other military detention centers have revealed severe human rights

abuses and violations of international law, such as the Geneva Conventions. The government has also engaged in the practice of rendition: secretly kidnapping people &

moving them to foreign countries where they are tortured and abused.

2. Torture, Kidnapping and Detention — In the years since 9/11, our government has illegally kidnapped, detained and tortured numerous prisoners. The government

continues to claim that it has the power to designate anyone, including Americans as “enemy combatants” without charge. Since 2002, some “enemy combatants,” have been held at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, in some cases without access by the Red Cross. Investigations into other military detention centers have revealed severe human rights

abuses and violations of international law, such as the Geneva Conventions. The government has also engaged in the practice of rendition: secretly kidnapping people &

moving them to foreign countries where they are tortured and abused.

Waterboarding

Waterboarding is a form of torture, more specifically a type of water torture, in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning. Waterboarding can cause extreme pain, dry drowning, damage to

lungs, brain damage from oxygen deprivation, other physical injuries including broken bones due to struggling against restraints, lasting psychological

damage, and death. Adverse physical consequences can manifest themselves months after the event, while psychological effects can last for years.

Interrogators at Guantánamo adopted coercive techniques including

waterboarding.

Waterboarding is a form of torture, more specifically a type of water torture, in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning. Waterboarding can cause extreme pain, dry drowning, damage to

lungs, brain damage from oxygen deprivation, other physical injuries including broken bones due to struggling against restraints, lasting psychological

damage, and death. Adverse physical consequences can manifest themselves months after the event, while psychological effects can last for years.

In January 2009, with a change in administrations, U.S. President Barack Obama banned the use of waterboarding

and other forms of torture in interrogations of detainees. In April 2009, the U.S. Department of Defense refused to say

whether waterboarding is still used for training (e.g. SERE) U.S. military personnel in resistance to interrogation.

In January 2009, with a change in administrations, U.S. President Barack Obama banned the use of waterboarding

and other forms of torture in interrogations of detainees. In April 2009, the U.S. Department of Defense refused to say

whether waterboarding is still used for training (e.g. SERE) U.S. military personnel in resistance to interrogation.

3. The Growing Surveillance Society — In perhaps the greatest assault on the privacy of ordinary Americans, the country is undergoing a rapid expansion of data collection, storage, tracking, and mining. The FBI’s

Investigative Data Warehouse, as an example, has grown to over 560 million records. Over and above the invasion of privacy represented by any one

specific program, a combination of new technologies, expanded government powers and expanded private-sector data collection efforts is creating a new “surveillance society” that is unlike anything Americans have seen before.

3. The Growing Surveillance Society — In perhaps the greatest assault on the privacy of ordinary Americans, the country is undergoing a rapid expansion of data collection, storage, tracking, and mining. The FBI’s

Investigative Data Warehouse, as an example, has grown to over 560 million records. Over and above the invasion of privacy represented by any one

specific program, a combination of new technologies, expanded government powers and expanded private-sector data collection efforts is creating a new “surveillance society” that is unlike anything Americans have seen before.

4. Abuse of the Patriot Act— Several provisions of the Patriot Act were set to expire at the end of 2005 and, despite opposition from across the political spectrum and more than 400

community and state resolutions expressing concern about the Patriot Act, Congress reauthorized the law without reforming its most flawed provisions to bring these

extraordinary powers back in line with the Constitution. Since then, the Justice Department’s Inspector General found that the FBI has issued hundreds of thousands of national security letters, a majority against U.S. persons, and many without any connection to terrorism at all. In September 2007, the ACLU won a landmark victory when a judge struck down the national security letter provision of the Patriot Act because part of the statute violated both the First

Amendment and the separation of powers doctrine.

4. Abuse of the Patriot Act— Several provisions of the Patriot Act were set to expire at the end of 2005 and, despite opposition from across the political spectrum and more than 400

community and state resolutions expressing concern about the Patriot Act, Congress reauthorized the law without reforming its most flawed provisions to bring these

extraordinary powers back in line with the Constitution. Since then, the Justice Department’s Inspector General found that the FBI has issued hundreds of thousands of national security letters, a majority against U.S. persons, and many without any connection to terrorism at all. In September 2007, the ACLU won a landmark victory when a judge struck down the national security letter provision of the Patriot Act because part of the statute violated both the First

Amendment and the separation of powers doctrine.

The Patriot Act

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The title of the act is a ten-letter backronym

(USA PATRIOT) that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to

Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The title of the act is a ten-letter backronym

(USA PATRIOT) that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to

Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.

On May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, a four-year extension of three

key provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act: roving wiretaps, searches of business records (the “library records provision”),

and conducting surveillance of “lone wolves”—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist

groups.

On May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, a four-year extension of three

key provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act: roving wiretaps, searches of business records (the “library records provision”),

and conducting surveillance of “lone wolves”—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist

groups.

5. Government Secrecy — The Bush administration has been one of the most secretive and nontransparent in our history. The Freedom of Information Act has been weakened , the

administration has led a campaign of reclassification and increased secrecy by federal agencies (including the expansion of a catch-all category of “sensitive but unclassified”), and has made

sweeping claims of “state secrets” to stymie judicial review of many of its policies that infringe on civil liberties. It even refused to grant government investigators the security clearances they

needed to investigate the illegal and unconstitutional NSA wiretapping program. The administration has also expressed interest in prosecuting journalists under the Espionage Act of

1917: essentially trying to quell the media’s role in exposing questionable, illegal and unconstitutional conduct, including the maintenance of secret CIA prisons abroad and the NSA

wiretapping program.

5. Government Secrecy — The Bush administration has been one of the most secretive and nontransparent in our history. The Freedom of Information Act has been weakened , the

administration has led a campaign of reclassification and increased secrecy by federal agencies (including the expansion of a catch-all category of “sensitive but unclassified”), and has made

sweeping claims of “state secrets” to stymie judicial review of many of its policies that infringe on civil liberties. It even refused to grant government investigators the security clearances they

needed to investigate the illegal and unconstitutional NSA wiretapping program. The administration has also expressed interest in prosecuting journalists under the Espionage Act of

1917: essentially trying to quell the media’s role in exposing questionable, illegal and unconstitutional conduct, including the maintenance of secret CIA prisons abroad and the NSA

wiretapping program.

6. Real ID — The 2005 Real ID Act, rammed through Congress by being attached to a unrelated, “must pass” bill, lays the foundation for a national ID card and makes

it more difficult for persecuted people to seek asylum. Under the law, states are required to standardize their drivers licenses (according to a still undetermined standard) and link to databases to be shared with every federal, state and local

government official in every other state. Conservative estimates place the cost of the program at $10 to 12 billion. Opposition to the bill and its implementation

remains fierce, and comes from groups such as the National Governor’s Association and the National Council of State Legislators.

6. Real ID — The 2005 Real ID Act, rammed through Congress by being attached to a unrelated, “must pass” bill, lays the foundation for a national ID card and makes

it more difficult for persecuted people to seek asylum. Under the law, states are required to standardize their drivers licenses (according to a still undetermined standard) and link to databases to be shared with every federal, state and local

government official in every other state. Conservative estimates place the cost of the program at $10 to 12 billion. Opposition to the bill and its implementation

remains fierce, and comes from groups such as the National Governor’s Association and the National Council of State Legislators.

7. No Fly and Selectee Lists — The No-Fly list was established to keep track of people the government prohibits from traveling because they have been labeled as security risks. Since 9/11 the number of similar watch lists has mushroomed

to about 720,000 names, all with mysterious or ill-defined criteria for how names are placed on the lists, and with little recourse for innocent travelers seeking to be taken off them. These lists name an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people. The lists are so erroneous several members of Congress, including the late Senator

Ted Kennedy (D-MA), have been flagged.

7. No Fly and Selectee Lists — The No-Fly list was established to keep track of people the government prohibits from traveling because they have been labeled as security risks. Since 9/11 the number of similar watch lists has mushroomed

to about 720,000 names, all with mysterious or ill-defined criteria for how names are placed on the lists, and with little recourse for innocent travelers seeking to be taken off them. These lists name an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people. The lists are so erroneous several members of Congress, including the late Senator

Ted Kennedy (D-MA), have been flagged.

8. Political Spying — Government agencies — including the FBI and the Department of Defense — have conducted their own spying on innocent and law-abiding Americans. Through the Freedom of Information Act, the ACLU learned the FBI had been consistently monitoring peaceful groups such Quakers, People

for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Greenpeace, the Arab American Anti-Defamation Committee and, indeed, the ACLU itself. In August 2007 the Pentagon announced that it would be shutting down its TALON database

program, which illegally gathered information on anti-war activists across the country.

8. Political Spying — Government agencies — including the FBI and the Department of Defense — have conducted their own spying on innocent and law-abiding Americans. Through the Freedom of Information Act, the ACLU learned the FBI had been consistently monitoring peaceful groups such Quakers, People

for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Greenpeace, the Arab American Anti-Defamation Committee and, indeed, the ACLU itself. In August 2007 the Pentagon announced that it would be shutting down its TALON database

program, which illegally gathered information on anti-war activists across the country.

9. Abuse of Material Witness Statute — In the days and weeks after 9/11, the government gathered and detained many people — mostly Muslims in the US — through

the abuse of a narrow federal technicality that permits the arrest & brief detention of “material witnesses,” or those who have important information about a crime. Most of those detained as material witnesses were never treated as witnesses to the crimes of

9/11, and though they were detained so that their testimony could be secured, in many cases, no effort was made to secure their testimony. The government has apologized for wrongfully detaining 13 people as material witnesses. Some were imprisoned for more

than six months and one actually spent more than a year behind bars.

9. Abuse of Material Witness Statute — In the days and weeks after 9/11, the government gathered and detained many people — mostly Muslims in the US — through

the abuse of a narrow federal technicality that permits the arrest & brief detention of “material witnesses,” or those who have important information about a crime. Most of those detained as material witnesses were never treated as witnesses to the crimes of

9/11, and though they were detained so that their testimony could be secured, in many cases, no effort was made to secure their testimony. The government has apologized for wrongfully detaining 13 people as material witnesses. Some were imprisoned for more

than six months and one actually spent more than a year behind bars.

10. Attacks on Academic Freedom — The Bush administration has used a provision in the Patriot Act to engage in a policy of “censorship at the border” to keep scholars with

perceived political views the administration does not like out of the United States. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging this ideological exclusion, charging that it is being

used to prevent United States citizens and residents from hearing speech protected by the First Amendment. Additionally, government policies and practices have hampered

academic freedom and scientific inquiry since 9/11, creating a system where science has come under siege. The government has moved to over-classify information and has

engaged in outright censorship and prescreening of scientific articles before publication.

10. Attacks on Academic Freedom — The Bush administration has used a provision in the Patriot Act to engage in a policy of “censorship at the border” to keep scholars with

perceived political views the administration does not like out of the United States. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging this ideological exclusion, charging that it is being

used to prevent United States citizens and residents from hearing speech protected by the First Amendment. Additionally, government policies and practices have hampered

academic freedom and scientific inquiry since 9/11, creating a system where science has come under siege. The government has moved to over-classify information and has

engaged in outright censorship and prescreening of scientific articles before publication.

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