How to Analyze the Patriot Act

The Patriot Act is a public law passed in October, 2001 to protect the citizens of the United States against future acts of terrorism. The full name of this act is Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Within the sections of the Patriot Act, amendments call for increased electronic surveillance and background checks of anyone who is considered a suspect in relation to an act of terrorism. To analyze the text of the Patriot Act, it is helpful to have a background in law, politics and the United States Constitution.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Text of the Patriot Act
• Current articles analyzing the Patriot Act
• Seminar in current politics or law
• Text of the US Constitution

1. Obtain a copy of the USA Patriot Act and read the document in its entirety. This act was passed as public law 107-56 and can be found in the United States Code. Call your local library to determine whether they carry volumes of the US Code in their reference collection.
2. Work with one title of the Patriot Act and its associated subtitles at a time. Analyze Title I, called "Enhancing Domestic Security Against Terrorism" as a whole, before moving on to Title II, "Enhanced Surveillance Procedures." Getting a grasp on each specific subject within the law separately will help you be able to understand it more fully.
3. Read current news articles that analyze or otherwise mention the Patriot Act. Knowing what experts have to say about the subject can assist your own analysis. They may bring up points about sections of the law that you have not thought of previously.
4. Attend a seminar or a class whose subject is current politics or law and whose syllabus includes discussion of the Patriot Act.
5. Write down your ideas as you analyze the Patriot Act. Not only does the process of writing down your thoughts help solidify your ideas, but you could also think about publishing an article that presents your findings.

Tips & Warnings

• Several of the provisions of the Patriot Act are very controversial. Some interest groups argue that this law endangers the freedoms to which US citizens are entitled, as stated in the Constitution. To be able to accurately analyze the Patriot Act in this regard, have a copy of the Constitution at your fingertips. The National Archives has placed a scanned copy of the historical document on its website, in addition to information that can help you in your analysis of the text (see Resources below).