preview

Civil Liberties And Civil Rights Similarities

Decent Essays

1 CIVIL LIBERTIES AND CIVIL RIGHTS 3 Definitions Civil liberties refer to the fundamental freedoms and rights that are secured by the constitution, or the Bill of Rights. They also refer to safeguards against the authority actions. For instance, the First Amendment assures citizens the freedom to exercise their preferred religion (Patterson, 2014). Therefore, the government cannot hamper the rights of an individual to worship. In this respect, the individual has liberty from government’s activities. Civil rights refer to the constructive activities that the government must conduct to establish equality for all the citizens in the country. In most cases, the term is normally linked with the shielding of minority persons including women, Hispanics, and African Americans (Patterson, 2014). The civil rights are used to counterbalances the rule of the majority in a democracy, which normally disregards the minorities. Therefore, it ensures that all persons are treated equally regardless of their marital status, gender, or races in areas such as housing, education, and employment (Patterson, 2014). 2 Similarities and Differences Civil liberties and civil rights are similar because they are granted to the citizens according to the constitution. In this regard, the civil rights and civil liberties ensure that all people are equal before the law, and are defended from government’s activities, which are contrary to the law (Patterson, 2014). The major difference between the civil rights and civil liberties is the purpose they are intended to serve. Precisely, civil liberties are designed to protect the ordinary citizen from abuse of power by the government. They safeguard the rights of the people such as the right to vote or marriage rights. On the contrary, civil rights are envisioned to protect persons from harassment and discrimination regarding issues such as ethnicity, gender, and race. Therefore, they are free from any form of unfair treatment or discrimination (Patterson, 2014). For instance, the US Constitution under the Fourteenth Amendment assures all Americans rights and equality Civil rights have a huge influence in my life because they ensure that all persons in the country are treated equally regardless of

Get Access