It shows that Bush did not ensure the carrying out of exactly accurate procedures detailed in the 'Help America Vote Act of 2002', and this had the inevitable result of the lack of appropriate funds for the purpose of election reform until it was a mite too late. The Act that ensures the equality of education for all the children of the United States of America was also not implemented appropriately. The 'No Child Left Behind' act was supposed to make sure that all children would enjoy equal opportunities in the field of education irrespective of their social background and status and race and color. This was however not carried out in the fullest sense of the term during the Bush Administration, and this meant that children were in fact left behind, and their civil rights were thus being violated. Another facet of the negative aspects of the Bush administration on the issue of civil liberties is the fact that, instead of promoting and encouraging positive actions in the fields of federal contracting as well as education, the Bush administration has been providing 'race neutral alternatives', and this does not, at least most of the time, promote diversity.
The Bush administration, after the terrorist attacks carried out on the United States of America on September 11, 2002 by Islamic militants that left more than three thousand innocent people killed and many more wounded, embarked on a policy that imposed racial profiling, instead of preventing it. This meant that visitors to the U.S.A., especially those from Arab and Middle Eastern counties were subjected to increased humiliations in the name of increased security restrictions, and this meant that these people were subjected to increased interviewing, and in some extreme cases, removals. (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights) it is in this manner, by accurate and timely reporting by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that the issue of civil rights and liberties of an individual in the United States of America are maintained to at least a certain passable extent.
In the report entitled 'Is America Ready to Vote?' brought out in April 2004, the Commission stated that it felt that the basic human right of an individual in a democracy was to promote the primary right to 'vote' and elect their own representative through which other rights would be automatically safeguarded. The Commission also stated that to take away this right of the individual meant, in fact, that the person was reduced to slavery, and slavery would not be permissible in the world of freedom and democracy. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution was meant to eliminate all sorts of voting barriers that were based on the biases of color, creed, race, and any conditions of servitude imposed on the individual. However, most states of the U.S.A. found ways to circumvent this legislation, in a manner that would allow blacks to be disenfranchised, and the Congress as well as the Courts remained mute spectators to these developments.
However, time has changed this, and now African-Americans are considered to be a part of the soil of the United States, and they can cast their votes without fear of repercussions. They are also allowed, unlike as in the past, to occupy positions of high literary standing, at par with the 'whites'. The important 'Voting Rights Act' was passed in the year 1965, and this was one of the most important acts ever to defend the civil rights and liberties of an individual in the United States of America. The Act has been broadened over the years to accommodate various changes, and it facilitates the appointment of officials to ensure that the terms and conditions within are carried out to the letter. The VRA not only ensures that more voters cast their votes after registering, but also sees to it that people of African-American descent are also elected to office, a hitherto unheard of occurrence. There are however still a few details over which there have been disputes through the years, and when these are tackled sufficiently well, the civil liberties of the citizen of America would be guaranteed and protected as far as voting rights are concerned. (Is America ready to Vote?)
What do other countries have to say about the protection of the individual's rights and liberties in the United States of America? This...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now