Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Essay

Civil liberties originate from the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Some civil liberties include freedom of speech and freedom of religion, which come from the First Amendment of the Constitution. The courts and legislatures can define

During the next few years the Bill of Rights began to be accepted by the

For example, they believed in a limited government in which one person could not have total control over an area. The idea of a limited government was important in making sure that there was no abuse of power. Moreover, it also related to Puritan values, which dictated that men who were given more power than was necessary would use it to his advantage. Religion also played a role in the limited government because God would determine how much power one should have. In Document E, John Cotton’s argument stems from the Puritan belief in God and their need to set an example for the Church of England to learn from. The Puritans wished to purify the Church of England and one way in which they chose to do so was to have a limited government. The intended audience of Cotton’s statement was the public and the Puritans as a whole. As an influential leader, Cotton was informing his audience of how man can take advantage of what he is given if he is given too much of it. As a result, Cotton claimed that man should never be given more power than was necessary. Cotton’s point of view is reliable because he was a minister, or someone who had power, so his relinquishing of a certain amount of power establishes his credibility in his statements. Thus, the New England colonies developed a political system where the leader was not given complete authority over his empire. Instead, there was a

The Constitution and its amendments define civil rights, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to petition, the freedom to assemble, and the right to vote regardless of race, color, and sex. The Constitution also provides citizens

Puritanism forbade tyranny and oppression primarily because the Puritans had been oppressed throughout Europe, especially in England. Even though they frequently pushed their religion and beliefs onto others, as traditional Christianity of the 1600s was forced upon them, Puritans still preached the principle of freedom. America?s founders declared war with England particularly to establish freedom and independence. Throughout the years, as the United States gained strength, it also promoted freedom and democracy in North and South America, Asia, Africa, and most recently the Middle East. The majority of Americans believe in freedom from oppression and tyranny, and the entire origin of the country is a result of this conviction.

From the beginning, the United States Constitution has guaranteed the American people civil liberties. These liberties have given citizens rights to speak, believe, and act freely. The Constitution grants citizens the courage to express their mind about something they believe is immoral or unjust. The question is, how far are citizens willing to extend the meanings of these liberties? Some people believe that American citizens take advantage of their civil liberties, harming those around them. On the contrary, many other people feel that civil liberties are necessary tools to fight for their Constitutional rights.

Their government was in the form of a republic, which later became a model for the United State’s future government. They came up with the idea of two houses of representatives that could pass bills and as we can see in the U.S. government today, their idea stuck (Chamber, ). Even though their government was a republic, the Puritans pushed the principles of democracy. Their ideals, such as freedom, liberty, and religion, became a base for our society today. The Puritans also left a legacy of conservatism which remains an important factor in North American government today (The Social Studies Help Center). What’s more, Puritan influence helped shape North American constitutional and common laws, such as “Congress shall make no laws establishing religion…” (McGowan et al. v. Maryland).

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights are two terms that are often used interchangeably in America. Since the founding of our nation there has always been the debate of the limit of government and what rights were guaranteed to each individual. Many of the architects of our government feared that national government could one day become too powerful and begin to infringe on the individual rights of the citizens. As a result, a Bill of Rights was added to our constitution. The Bill of Rights serves as a guide of what the government cannot do. Civil Liberties simply establish precedent on what rights the United States government cannot abridge on. Civil Rights, on the other hand applies to the rights of individuals. Over the history of our nation the question of civil rights has found itself becoming a pillar of our legal system and has been very instrumental in our quest to become a “more perfect union”. In recent history one civil liberty that has caused a continual controversial debate is the second amendment, in addition to how it applies to gun control measures that are being proposed in order to decrease the level of mass shootings. The second amendment clearly defines the intention of individuals to have the right to bear arms. In order to understand why gun control advocates have failed to secure effective gun control legislation, we must explore the reasoning why the second amendment is interpreted the way it is and should Americans be allowed to own guns?

Our Founding Founders established the federal government with three distinct branches, each with powers over the other in order to have a proper checks and balances to ensure fairness across the board. The U.S. Constitution outlines the powers and responsibilities of the three branches of government and is a critical document for the federal government. Important laws and documents such as The Bill of Rights, The US Civil Rights Act and The Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) are managed by our Constitution. Below we will discuss three subjects which set up a diverse broad range of viewpoints that are essential in our democracy.

Webster defines civil liberty as a freedom from arbitrary governmental interference specifically by denial of governmental power, and in the United States especially as guaranteed by the bill of rights. Civil liberties are the basic rights, and freedoms that are due to every American citizen. More than often, civil liberties and civil rights are often used synonymously, but those terms are very distinct. A civil rights violation happens during designated situations where a person is discriminated against based on physical characteristics. However, civil liberties deal with basic rights and freedoms that are guaranteed within the Bill of Rights and U.S constitution, inferred over the years by courts, and legislatures. Although, there are many liberties outlined within the United States constitution freedom of speech will be expounded upon.

Civil liberties are our natural rights, such as freedom, equality and pursuit of happiness, which the government cannot modify by making new laws or by judicial interpretation. Civil liberties are important because it helps restrain the power of the government to dictate how we behave. This ensures that our daily life is not interrupted by authoritative figures that may just try to intentionally cause harm. Civil liberties contribute to the protection of our personal choices, such as the right to abortions. The bill of rights is important to civil liberties because it does not allow the government to govern our personal lives. Unfortunately, with this war against terrorism, we have given those authoritative figures the ability to mandate

Chapter 21 Question 2: What key issues and events led the federal government to intervene in the civil rights movement? What were the major pieces of legislation enacted, and how did they dismantle legalized segregation?

The original settlers of America practiced Puritanism. Tocqueville considers Puritanism itself almost a form of politics. The Puritans founded the land based mostly on intellectual prowess over aristocracy. They were seeking shelter due to religious conflict in their motherland. The Puritans were of a mind to preserve their genetic culture, but as society progressed, the discontent with the English monarchal government festered. In fact, England was the driving force behind American democracy which really began with Puritan democracy. Puritan democracy was based on a sense of morality, but the downside was the religious intolerance that they founded their settlements on. The idea of a dissenter was distasteful and the Puritans had no problem fining or even executing anyone they thought were breaking their religious code, which for a settlement founded on freedom of religion and freedom itself, contradicts the ideals of both.

1. Discuss when, why and how the Cold War began. Then cite at least one factor that perpetuated the Cold War in each decade from the 1950s-1980s and discuss how the item you selected affected America at home as well. Last, discuss when and why the Cold War ended.

Civil liberties in general can be understood as those rights which are mentioned in the bills of