Should the U.S. government be allowed to seize private property?

Eminent domain is defined as “the right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.” Recently, several high-profile cases of private landowners being forced to give up land to the federal government have drawn into question the constitutionality of such a practice.

investigate

Additional resources to think about

The Kelo Decision Ten Years Later
This video from think tank The Cato Institute talks about the impact of groundbreaking eminent domain case Kelo v. The City of New London ten years after the Supreme Court ruled on the case.

Acquiring Private Land is Slowing Trump's Border Wall
This story from NPR details the difficulties the Trump Administration is finding along the border in Texas, where land for the border wall isn't owned by the government, but by private entities.

Farmers along proposed pipeline route fight eminent domain
This story from NJTV looks at the impact of a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run through the land of several local farmers.

PBS LearningMedia | Eminent Domain
This collection on Eminent Domain from PBS LearningMedia follows two cases, one in New London, CT and one in Atlantic City, NJ.

contemplate

Who created this message?

What kind of “text” is it?
How similar or different is it to others of the same genre?
What are the various elements (building blocks) that make up the whole?

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

What do you notice (about the way the message is constructed)?
What’s the emotional appeal?
What makes it seem “real?”
What's the emotional appeal? Persuasive devices used?

How might different people understand this message differently from me?

How many other interpretations could there be?
How could we hear about them?
How can you explain the different responses?

What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

What type of person is the reader/watcher/listener invited to identify with?
What ideas or perspectives are left out?
How would you find what’s missing?
What judgments or statements are made about how we treat other people?

Why is this message being sent?

What's being sold in this message? What's being told?
Who is served by or benefits from the message
– the public?
– private interests?
– individuals?
– institutions?

5 Key Questions of Media Literacy used with permission from the Center for Media Literacy.
Copyright 2002-2021, Center for Media Literacy, www.medialit.com

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