Guantanamo+Bay

Objectives:

 * identify the legal issues involved in the cases of the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay and surrounding the existence of the base itself
 * describe the clash between civil liberties and national security during wartime

Do Now:
Describe what you already know about Guantanamo Bay.

Lesson:
1. Background: Guantanamo Bay is a 45-square-mile American naval base located at the southeastern tip of Cuba, a nearby communist country in the Caribbean. The U.S. has leased the land for the past century although Cuban leader Fidel Castro does not recognize U.S. claims to the land. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. moved about 600 captured prisoners to Guantanamo Bay. Most remained there for years without being charged with crimes or being given hearings, prompting international and domestic criticism of the Bush administration. The Bush administration contended that they are dangerous enemy combatants being detained and interrogated legally and humanely during the ongoing war on terrorism. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Guantanamo detainees were entitled to Constitutional protections. The status of the detainees is an important current issue and one that gives us the opportunity to examine the clash between the need for safety and security and civil liberties during wartime. In January of 2009, President Obama ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay within a year, citing its damage to America's international reputation.

2. Read and mark up the two articles below using Microsoft Word. Use the highlighting and comment tools. Upload your mark ups to your Unit 3 page.


 * Supreme Court Hears Guantanamo Case**


 * Supreme Court Rules Terror Suspects Can Appeal Detentions**

3. Answer the following:

1. Explain what Guantanamo Bay is. 2. How is it that the US has a naval base in Cuba? What are the positions of the American and Cuban governments regarding this base? 3. Who is being held at Guantanamo Bay and why? 4. How have these detainees been classified and why? 5. Why might Guantanamo Bay have been considered an ideal place to keep the detainees from the perspective of the Bush administration? How did the administration justify holding detainees there? 6. Compare and contrast the rights of the detainees to those accused of crimes in the U.S. What is habeas corpus?

Summary - Opinion Piece
What is your opinion about Guantanamo Bay? What do you think should be done about the base and the prisoners? Did your opinion change as you learned more? Use evidence from the articles to explain your reasoning.