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While Jefferson suggests that citizens have an obligation to act against an unjust government, in reality, it is often difficult to know whether, as an individual, we should engage in dissent or not. How often have you witnessed someone engage in some form of protest, which from your perspective was nonsensical? How do we know whether an act of government is just - what are the criteria?

For this assignment, identify two issues; one domestic and one international. Use the Dissent and Social Contract to complete the assignment and follow the instructions below: 

1. Clearly the Framers knew that citizens need certain rights in order to fulfill the expectations expressed by Jefferson and Madison. Take a moment to reread the First Amendment. You will notice that this short document actually outlines five rights. The last four rights mentioned in the First Amendment empower citizens to engage in dissent against their government including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances.  
2. Use a legitimate media source to identify two specific incidents where the rights of an individual or a demographic population have been infringed upon by government: one incident where the decision-making government is located within the USA and another incident where the decision-making government is outside of the USA. Be cautious to differentiate between the acts of an individual who is employed, elected, or appointed to government and actions/policies that are endorsed by the government.
3. Discuss the incident in brief but sufficient detail. Rely on the ideas discussed in the assigned course materials to determine whether the actions of government were just or unjust. Use appropriate citations in your work. Remember, it is your job as a student to demonstrate learning based upon the assigned course materials. Students should base their argument upon no less than three of the assigned course reading articles. Use the videos and research papers to round-out your understanding. 
4. Use the ideas of the Social Contract to examine these incidents.
5. Critically examine the posting of three different students. With appropriate respect and tact, provide critical feedback to your fellow learners by agreeing, or not, with their two conclusions. (Remember, an appropriate but constructive critical analysis of another student’s work helps both students how to build stronger arguments.