On July 4th, 1776, a document was published containing a declarative statement that is now our country’s foundation for civil liberties, freedoms, and human rights. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The inalienable right of liberty, or civil liberty, protects our freedom of thought, choice, and property from being suppressed or restricted. In recent years, however, the American government has set up surveillance to collect data on its citizens without their knowledge, which many would argue infringes upon the Fourth Amendment. There are also citizens who argue that government surveillance is for the greater good and does no harm if you are not participating in illegal activities. Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who exposed the NSA data collection program, makes an excellent analogy to convey the problem of allowing the continued government violations. "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say".…show more content… His statement makes the point that if you are willing to allow the government to infringe upon one of your rights for the greater good, you likely will allow them to infringe on other rights as they deem it necessary. It is also important to note that if a person does not care about the right to privacy because they have nothing to hide, they are indicating they do not understand what an inalienable right is. The choice to exercise an inalienable right is in the hands of the individual citizen, not the government. Moreover, citizens cannot rightfully vote away civil liberties on the grounds that they are not useful to everyday
