Essay Sample about The Patriot Act

The Patriot Act was introduced after the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. The Patriot Act was formally introduced on October 26, 2001, just months after the attacks on 9/11 occured. The Patriot Act was created so that it would prevent anything like the attacks on 9/11 from happening again. The Patriot Act allowed law enforcement to do advanced surveillance on a person of interest, and would be able to see who they were in contact with, whether it be through text messaging, phone calls, or via the internet. It was once said by Benjamin Franklin, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security, deserves neither and will lose both.” The quote was said 266 years ago, but it still has importance and meaning today, in regards to the Patriot Act.

The quote, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security, deserves neither and will lose both,” said by Benjamin Franklin does have importance. But what does it mean? It means that if a society would give up freedom so that they could have a little security and be safe, they do not deserve either, as freedom is the most important thing, and one should not give up their freedom so they can be safe. Going more in depth, Benjamin Franklin fought for the freedom of the colonists, so to him, if a society would rather have security than freedom, they don’t deserve it. One can understand why Benjamin Franklin would believe that a society that does the aforementioned does not deserve either, because Benjamin Franklin wanted America to be free and not under the rule of the king. But if a society wants security instead of freedom, then they are basically putting themselves under the control of the king, just to be protected. 

The quote, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security, deserves neither and will lose both,” said by Benjamin Franklin, has importance to today. My views on the subject are complicated, as I don’t really know. I can understand why Benjamin Franklin would think the things he was saying, as I can see how freedom is a very important thing, but I can also see how a society would give up a little freedom for a little security, as people were scared of invasions or other countries taking over, and so if they received protection from the government, they wouldn’t have to worry about that stuff. My view on this quote relates to my view on the Patriot Act, as I don’t really know how I feel about that topic either. In the passage, it says, “...opponents to the Patriot Act have argued that the sweeping powers given to the government to conduct surveillance on US citizens means that there is less privacy protection than before and that there is certainly opportunity for abuse.” This shows that people who are against the Patriot Act, (people who agree with Benjamin Franklin’s quote) believe that someone who will give away privacy protection/freedom so that they have safety do not deserve freedom or protection. On the other hand, however, people that support the Patriot Act, (people who are against Benjamin Franklin’s quote) believe that giving away a little privacy protection/freedom so they can be safe is okay. In the text, it says, “...argue that the Patriot Act removed many of the barriers that law enforcement faced when they needed to carry out surveillance on a suspected terrorist very quickly.” This shows that some people believe that the Patriot Act was good because it helped law enforcement take down bad people quicker, and it didn’t matter if the former’s freedom was taken away because of this. 

In conclusion, the quote said by Benjamin Franklin, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security, deserves neither and will lose both,” is still a very important quote today. Whether one agrees with the quote or agrees with the Patriot Act, everyone can agree that both have important meaning. As previously said, I don’t really have a view on the quote or The Patriot Act, as I can see on both sides of the spectrum. The Patriot Act has helped a lot of bad people get caught, but at what cost? Our own freedom?