Justice and Civic Life Essay
From the Magna Carta to many of the Constitutional Amendments, democracy has evolved over history. Throughout this semester, we have studied how the notion of individual rights have gradually been extended to more and more of the population.
In Essay, you must rely on Gloria Steinem's Testimony Before Senate Hearings on ERA, May 1970, and Elie Wiesel's speech, The Perils of Indifference, to advocate for a particular group of people in the world who are not extended democratic rights, using a current injustice that should be addressed.
This is how I would like you to organize your essay:
Introductory Paragraph: perhaps you can use one of the quotes from our text, such as "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal," to begin your essay. Then write a sentence about Steinem's concerns, and then a sentence about Wiesel's concerns. Then identify an example of the oppression, genocide, or exploitation of a certain population in the world. Finally, finish this introductory paragraph with a specific thesis, incorporating Steinem, Wiesel, and the contemporary concern about democracy.
Paragraph 2: Explain Steinem's concerns about the treatment of women in the United States. In other words, provide a summary of her testimony. You must include one quote.
Paragraph 3: Explain Wiesel's concerns about the lack of concern for people around the world. Again, provide a summary of his speech, and include one quote.
Paragraph 4: Based on your research, provide an example of a place in the world (it can be the United States) where individual rights are not being recognized. Provide location, population being oppressed, and how long it has been going on; you must cite your sources!
Paragraph 5: Explain why it is important for people to become involved, and provide a solution. Again, you are welcome to research ideas of how the problem could be rectified. Be sure to cite your sources!
Paragraph 6: You need to either apply Steinem's or Wiesel's text to endorse your proposal. (For example, if you were interested in exploring the oppression of women in a particular country, you would rely on Steinem's testimony. Or, if you choose an example, such as genocide, you could apply Wiesel's speech to support your proposal). Again, whichever text that you select to support your proposal must be supported with in-text citation-a quote from the source.
Concluding Paragraph: Discuss the value of a democratic society, how it improves society as a whole to extend rights to all individuals. You could rely on one of the other readings within the text, such as Rousseau, Du Bois, etc. to support your answer. You could, for example, close this paragraph by underscoring Martin Luther King's quote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,"