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Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

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Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

The expansion and development on specific civil liberties and rights since the birth of America can be seen as one of the biggest evolutions in the Constitution. The original Constitution and Bill of Rights did not convey anything about equality aside from that all Americans are entitled to due process in court. The word “equality” for instance does not even appear in the Constitution. Thus the topic of equality and civil rights is a grey area that is not clearly defined or understood. Prior to the Civil War, the inequality of African Americans and women for example were easily apparent. African Americans lived as slaves and had no rights at all and were claimed by some in court cases that the Founders believed that blacks had no rights that the government had to honor. While women also suffered many inequalities such as not having the right to vote and some states went so far as to deny them right to own property or submit contracts. The exclusion of civil rights allowed for interpretation and the implementation of unequal policies throughout the states.
The foundation for civil rights began being passed by Congress following the Civil War allowing for many constitutional amendments being made. Even with Civil War amendments, court cases were ruled that attempted to undermine amendments and allowed for segregation to continue. This discrimination created many disadvantages for minority groups that have been attempted to be fixed only

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