civil rights

[ siv-uhl rahyts ]

plural noun

, (often initial capital letters)

1. rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional acts, especially as applied to an individual or a minority group.
2. the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to African Americans.

civil rights

plural noun

1. the personal rights of the individual citizen, in most countries upheld by law, as in the US
2. modifier of, relating to, or promoting equality in social, economic, and political rights

civil rights

1. A broad range of privileges and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and subsequent amendments and laws that guarantee fundamental freedoms to all individuals. These freedoms include the rights of free expression and action ( civil liberties ); the right to enter into contracts , own property, and initiate lawsuits; the rights of due process and equal protection of the laws ; opportunities in education and work; the freedom to live, travel, and use public facilities wherever one chooses; and the right to participate in the democratic political system.

Notes

Efforts to redress the situation of inequality, such as the civil rights movement and the women's movement , have resulted in legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , in affirmative action , and in the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission .

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil rights¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

A former civil rights attorney, Price was elected two years ago after vowing to bring criminal justice reform to the prosecutor’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

“We don’t have the courts like we did last time, but we still have the Constitution, we still have civil rights, we still have local laws,” Salas said.

From Los Angeles Times

His loss will cause further teeth-gnashing among the region’s Latino political class, who had already cast Jurado’s rise as little better than a civil rights violation.

From Los Angeles Times

It happened in 2003, involving a police captain, a civil rights attorney, a councilman, a deli owner and a tamale maker, among others.

From Los Angeles Times

In a statement Derrick Johnson, head of the civil rights group NAACP, said: “These actions are not normal.”

From BBC

Related Words

• freedom
• freedom of religion
• freedom of speech
• human rights