According to chapter four of the text we have civil liberties, and rights that protect our freedom. Although they sound synonyms they are not. For instance, civil rights are, “limitations on government power, intended to protect freedoms that governments may not legally intrude on” (108). Civil rights are in place to protect people from being discriminated against for their race, disability ect. Whereas civil liberties, “are guarantees that government officials will treat people equally and that decisions will be made on the basis of merit rather than race” (108). Therefore, rather than promising equality to people based on their race, or gender, civil rights does it based on the bill of rights.One of the most important amendments is, freedom of speech. …show more content…
Unfortunately people were not aware of how much censorship there was in those days. The following years however, would witness many trial cases that question the boundaries of what freedom of speech really means. For instance, in a case of Brandenburg v. Ohio the court came to the conclusion that “symbolic speech….were subject to the same protections as written and spoken communication” (122). One of the most controversial cases of this was a man that burned the American flag “In 1984, as part of a protest….. set fire to a U.S. flag...He was arrested, charged with ‘desecration of a venerated object’ and eventually convicted of that offense.” (123). After that incident many people were upset this brought up the question of the freedom that freedom of speech really granted us. Some key restrictions that limit our ability to speak are: incitement of criminal acts, obscenity (extremely offensive
The difference between civil liberties and civil rights are, civil liberties are freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The liberties are “freedom of speech, religious expression, and press, as well as due process of the Fourteenth Amendment.” (Bianco, Canon 2011, p 153) Civil liberties limit what the government can do to you. An example is “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” (Bianco, Canon 2011, p 153) Civil liberties are about people’s freedoms. Civil rights protect against discrimination from both by the government and individuals. civil rights are about equal rights. “In contrast, civil rights protect all persons from
Civil liberties are simply defined to be protections against government actions or power. They are embedded in the Bill of Rights which restricts the power of the federal government. To take away any of the liberties in the Constitution is illegal. There are several Amendments that give liberties to the people. The First Amendment gives freedoms of speech, press, assembly, petition and religion. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Amendments give rights to bear arms, protection against having to house soldiers in your home, and protection from unreasonable search and seizures. The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8thAmendments gives rights of due process, right to trial by jury, and protection from cruel and unusual punishment. The 9th and 10th Amendments gives rights not enumerated by the Bill of Rights. The 14th Amendment is also important as it pertains to civil liberties and states that there must be “due process” before the government can take away anyone’s life, liberty, or property. This Amendment also applies due process to the states as well as the federal government.
Civil liberties are basic freedoms granted to individuals in the Bill of Rights. Individual freedom can survive only under a system of law by which both the supreme and the governed are bound. Such a system of fundamental laws, Civil rights are constitutional guarantees, which mean they are granted to individuals with the body of the Constitution in the form of amendments. Many civil rights were granted after the Constitution was written, but civil liberties were included in the Constitution since their adoption in the Bill of Rights in 1791.
Overall, the main difference is that Civil Liberties deals with unalienable rights and Civil Rights defends people 's equality.
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.
There is a difference between civil liberties and civil rights in relation to the government. Civil liberties refer to an individual’s unalienable freedoms that cannot be taken away by political intervention. On the other hand, civil rights are provided by the government in order to promote equality. This ideology was introduced to the founders of the nation by John Locke, who believed in natural rights. Locke stated that these natural rights are to be protected and secured by the government. The question that should be raised now is whether the government truly does protect our civil rights and have the citizens’ best interest in mind.
Civil Rights In the U.S. most use the terms Civil Liberties and Civil Rights interchangeably; although they both protect the freedom of citizens they do this in different ways. 2 Civil Liberties are limitations placed on the government. These are things the government is restricted to do, by the constitution. Things that could interfere with personal freedom. 3 For example, the 1st amendment says that no law can be made establishing a set religion. (Course, 2015) Therefore no laws can be made pertaining to a set religion. Civil liberties can be seen as broader laws, placed against the government. 2 Whereas Civil Rights are almost like curbs
There are civil rights and civil liberties but they do not mean the same, a civil right is those rights protecting us from discrimination (14th Amendment in US Constitution) & Section 3 & 3a in Texas Constitution whereas a civil liberty is those rights protecting us from government (Bill of Rights in US Constitution) & most of Texas Bill of Rights. One of the Texas Constitutions states that in Sec. 3a. EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW. Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin. This amendment is self-operative (Added Nov. 7, 1972.). This is a civil right because sex, race, color, creed, or national origin can all be discriminated, for example not long ago innocent men were shot based
Civil liberties are defined as rights given to individuals that cannot be taken away because they are protected within the constitution. Some of these rights include the freedom of speech and religion. Civil liberties are rights that are guaranteed to American citizens and no one in the government is able to take these away. Civil liberties are essential to Americans because they protect against unfair treatment from the government and provide Americans with the security their freedoms will remain intact. Whereas, civil rights is defined as rights that should be given towards political and social freedom. This helps protect people of different races, genders, or sexual orientation against harm or unlawful treatment. Civil rights are important because they give people, who are mocked or not given fair circumstances, more rights that allow them to be equal citizens.
According to Patterson, “The Constitution’s failure to enumerate individual freedoms led to demands for the Bill of Rights. These first 10 amendments to the Constitution list a set of rights that the federal government is obliged to protect” (Patterson, 94). In the Bill of Rights, civil liberties specify the individual’s rights like freedom of speech, the right to a fair court trial, and other rights, which is protected by the government. 3 Patterson says, “Civil rights are a question of whether individual members of differing groups, such as racial, gender, and ethnic groups, are treated
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
There are certain differences between civil rights, which implies the essential right of freedom from discrimination on the basis of certain individual qualities, for example, sex, race, or handicap, and civil liberties which are fundamental flexibilities. Civil liberties talks about the real fundamental freedom; civil rights talks about the treatment of an individual in regards to any specific rights. Dissimilar to civil liberties, where the government grants broad based rights to people, civil rights are allowed by the government as well as contain a
Civil liberties and civil rights are very commonly used statements, which can be carelessly misused. Both statements are similar to some degree, but do hold different meanings. These statements may seem exactly the same, but by true definitions, the difference between both is unmistakable. Civil liberties are the protections against government actions. Civil rights, however, is positive actions of government should take to create equal conditions for all Americans.
A way you can spot the difference from civil liberties and civil rights is by looking at what right has been affected, who’s right has been affected. For example, an employer is not obligated to give out promotions, due to the fact that promotions are not guaranteed civil liberty. But if a female was denied for a promotion simply because she is a female you have the legal right to be free from discrimination for being considered for the promotion.
The term civil rights have been defined as all citizenship rights from actions and decisions taken by the government to create equal and guaranteed living circumstances for all citizens, In specific, the Constitution Amendments No. 13, 14, 15, 19, and 26. (Barbour 2014 p.133).