Patriot Acts contains personal stories of post-9/11 backlash, illuminating the experiences of men and women who found themselves subject to a wide range of human and civil rights abuses—from rendition and torture, to workplace discrimination, bullying, FBI surveillance, and harassment. These accompanying lesson plans bring home these realities in a personal and relatable way, allowing students to grapple with the human costs that lie at the heart of this pertinent contemporary issue. Students will explore the following questions:
- In times of upheaval or crisis, is it necessary to suspend some of our civil rights in order to maintain security?
- Is heightened security and surveillance a necessary precaution or a violation of individuals’ right to privacy?
Grades: Flexible and adaptable for middle school and high school.
Time Needed: Approximately 1 week of class time, or each lesson can be taught separately.
Objectives:
- Students will make personal connections to historical injustices through the interpretation and analysis of oral history/primary sources.
- Students will analyze U.S. civil rights and security issues through the lens of personal narrative.
Download Free Curriculum
* Required fields
At a time when America is reflecting on years that have passed since September 11, 2001, Patriot Acts offers an opportunity to explore the dark side of our country’s response to the attacks. The strong voices contained in this collection offer first-hand insight into experiences of injustice often overlooked in post-9/11 media coverage.
Hamed Aleaziz
for Mother Jones
About the Oral Histories
In today’s political climate, where threats of mass deportations and a Muslim registry are making the headlines, the issues of civil rights, identity, and belonging explored inside Patriot Acts: Narratives of Post-9/11 Injustice are perhaps more urgent than ever before.
A groundbreaking collection of oral histories, Patriot Acts tells the stories of men and women who were needlessly swept up in the War on Terror. In their own words, narrators recount personal experiences of the post-9/11 backlash that have deeply altered their lives and communities. The eighth book in the Voice of Witness series, Patriot Acts illuminates these experiences in a compelling collection of eighteen oral histories from men and women who have found themselves subject to a wide range of human and civil rights abuses—from rendition and torture, to workplace discrimination, bullying, FBI surveillance, and harassment.
