Civil Liberties in America: The Diffusion of Resolutions to Protect the Bill of Rights after September 11, 2001.

National crises restructure the balance between civil liberties and the real or imagined danger posed by internal and external enemies, and leads the state to withdraw rights that in other times would appear inviolable. Civil liberties do not go undefended, however; even in periods where the nation is at risk, some oppose "the destruction of our way of life in order to protect it." This paper studies the passage of municipal resolutions that seek to protect civil liberties post 9/11. Almost four hundred cities, counties, and states representing over sixty million people have adopted such resolutions, making this one of the largest movements to protect civil liberties in the recent history of the United States. We suggest that the strength of local associations permits effective political action, particularly in opposition to the central state. We do not assume that all associations are "equally virtuous", however, and focus much of our attention on the differential effects of various types of civic, political, and religious associations. We also argue that support for civil liberties is grounded in fundamental political understandings, both those related to the centrality of those liberties per se and those related to perceptions of the state, the nation, and its enemies. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]