Natural Rights And Civil Liberties

c. Civil liberties (sometimes referred to as “negative rights”) are freedoms that are guaranteed to an individual. These are restraints on the gov. Civil liberties declare what the government cannot do.

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.

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

1. 2 Define Civil Liberties; then define Civil Rights. How are they similar? How do they differ? Which civil sequence has more influence on your life as you know it to be now? Why do you believe this to be so?

When our founding fathers sat down to illustrate and create the foundation of the United States, they had many goals and ideals they set out to uphold. One of those is equality. It states clearly in our constitution that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” It can sometimes be a blurry line to if these ideals are still upheld in a rapidly changing and disunified country. This is where our civil sequences: Liberties and Rights, keep our country intact. 1 Both Civil Liberties and Rights are granted and defined in the Constitution. We must continue enforcing our civil sequences to maintain order for ourselves, our states,

To understand civil liberties, one must first understand why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. Civil liberties include balancing interests. There has to be a balance between a citizen’s freedom, the government interests, and public safety (Bianco & Canon, 2015, p. 107). Along with balancing interests came drawing lines and defining the limits of acceptable conduct by the government or an individual citizen in the context of a specific civil liberty (Bianco & Canon, 2015, p. 108). Although the courts outline the limitations of our civil liberties, often times, other branches of government and the public get involved. There were early concerns of the public as to how our civil liberties would be defined (Bianco & Canon, 2015, p.109). As stated in American Politics Today, there were only limited protections outlined in the original Constitution, such as protection against illegal incarceration (Bianco & Canon, 2015, p. 109). States were adamant about individuals requiring protection from the federal government. The fight for the Bill of Rights was not necessarily an easy one. Because the Bill of Rights only applied to the national government, another amendment was submitted that also required states to also uphold civil liberties (Bianco & Canon, 2015, p. 109). This was denied by congress as the Bill of Rights was to make the national government stronger. Unfortunately, the Bill of Rights had a minor

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.

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 are what you would consider your basic rights, and also freedom that should be guaranteed. For example, what is stated in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.

Is privacy implied in any of our Constitutional amendments? Where? First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment

2 Civil Liberties are basic rights and freedoms that we are guaranteed by the government.

The common thread throughout all four arguments for civil liberties—historical backing, refined legality, obligatory morality, and economic responsibility—is that each is personal to citizens. The Fourth Amendment was written for American citizens. The laws enforced in this nation are for the people’s safety. The social contract is in place to balance the relationship between government and society. And the government security agencies are funded by the citizens through taxes. The initial two questions were “is government collection of personal data under the argument of national security just, and, if not, what would be an alternative to protecting American citizens?” The resolving answer is that the collection of data is unprotected, immoral,