U.S. Homeland Security: A Reference Handbook

(Hardback)

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A legal scholar details the creation and function of the Homeland Security Department, placing it in historical context. In response to the brutal attack of September 11, 2001, the administration created the Department of Homeland Security. Some question whether the powers granted the department are too broad and dangerously curtail civil liberties. What is the department, and how does it compare to historical responses to internal and external threats A concept so important, it is among the first words of the U.S. Constitution, the defense of our borders is as essential today as it was 230 years ago. In response to the breakdown of that function on September 11, 2001, the administration sponsored the USA Patriot Act and created the Department of Homeland Security. Critics of those actions claim these measures give too much power to the government and impermissibly impinge on civil liberties; supporters claim they are necessary for national security. From the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts to the present, the government has aggressively discharged its duty to ensure domestic tranquility, including jailing dissidents and forcing Japanese citizens into internment camps. In this book, a leading legal scholar explains in detail the present federal actions and places them in historical context.

Author Bio

Howard Ball is professor of law at Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT, and professor of political science and University Scholar Emeritus at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. His published works include ABC-CLIO's The USA Patriot Act and War Crimes and Justice.