The first legislative efforts to address bias-related crimes, dated back to the late 19th century, which was a response to the expanding Ku Klux Klan and segregation in the south. Such laws included mandates against wearing masks and hoods. The next wave of legislation relating to hate crimes resulted from the movement for increased protection for civil rights in the face of widespread racial prejudice shown by segregated buildings and restricted access to public and private resources. The most recent legislation has been directed specifically to acts of hate against people of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, S. 625, also known

Another key argument against hate crime legislation is the fact that these crimes are already illegal. So making harsher laws wouldn't really change anything. If a person feels the need to ignore the law, how would making a harsher sentence change that. I don't think people really ignore the law. But unfortunately people, which includes criminals, have this thought that nothing really bad is going to happen to themselves. They really just think they will not get caught. Maybe if the laws were harsher, they will think twice before committing a hate crime.

what makes the United States so great. The United States needs to have hate-crime legislation. Crimes are obviously awful but when it is purely because one is different, it goes against everything America stands for. As our former President said, "These are not like other crimes, because these crimes target people simply because of who they are, and because they do, they strike at the heart of who we are as a nation."

Hate crime offenses are far more serious than comparable crimes that do not involve prejudice because hate crimes are intended to intimidate an entire group. Hate crimes go against everything our country was founded on which are principles of equality. Some startling facts are that there are 547 active hate groups. In early 2000, the Internet witnessed an increase in hate sites to at total of 305. Obviously, anyone can see that, the problem is increasing.

There are thousands of examples I could present to show how hate crimes are way more severe then normal crimes. What compares to a man named Buford Furrow firing 72 bullets into a day-care building because it was part of a Jewish community center, or a man named Nathaniel Smith, who went on a deadly killing spree in the Midwest that targeted minorities, or times homosexuals are beaten up for just walking down the street and being themselves. The examples are endless. The fight against hate crimes on the national and local levels must get more aggressive. We, as a nation, must act now.

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