So I’m writing an abstract for a conference entitled “American Multiculturalism after 9/11.” Basically my proposal is to compare the PATRIOT Act to “The Negro Acts.”
PATRIOT Act: laws enacted post-9/11 that give the Federal government increased power to monitor “suspicious” activity.
Negro Acts: laws enacted in South Carolina, post-Stono Rebellion that institutionalized chattel slavery–limited movement, communication, dress, etc., of African slaves.
The question is this, what are the long-term effects of these responses to acts of public violence? Will the PATRIOT Act have a longterm influence on the US, one we cannot anticipate? Does our culture suffer? Are we really better protected? Food for thought.
Listen to this story from NPR about the treatment of human beings awaiting immigration decisions in the United States of America…
