Distinguishing Civil Rights from Civil Liberties

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HUSSEIN1

NAME: FARDOWSA HUSSEIN
COURSE: GOVT 1305
INSTRUCTORES’S NAME: Prof. Smith
DATE: 9/18/7 Civil Rights versus Civil Liberties Civil rights concern the basic right to be free from unequal treatment based on certain protected characteristics (race, gender, disability, etc.) in settings such as employment, education, housing, and access to public facilities. A civil rights violation occurs in designated situations where an individual is discriminated against on the basis of a protected characteristic. Most civil rights laws are established through the federal government via federal legislation or case law. On the other hand, Civil liberties concern basic rights and freedoms that are guaranteed -- either explicitly identified in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, or interpreted or inferred through the years by legislatures or the courts. (FindLaw) …show more content…

However, federal powers defined in the Constitution create gray areas that allow the government to propose new laws, potentially threatening civil liberties. One example is government interest in tracking suspects by GPS without warrants and using spy drones to patrol and collect intel on U.S. soil, notes PBS. Both measures are criticized as possible violations of search-and-seizure laws that protect citizens from unjustified police intrusion. Civil liberties are important because they guard the rights and freedom of citizens of the United States. Franklin D. Roosevelt states in papers held at George Washington University that people must preserve civil liberties in order to preserve

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