CIVIL RIGHTS Definition & Meaning

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civil rights

[ siv-uhl rahyts ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural noun

(often initial capital letters)

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.
the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to African Americans.

civil rights

plural noun

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

civil rights

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.

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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 .

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of civil rights¹

First recorded in 1715–25

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Example Sentences

And while members of the GOP applauded Booker’s tenacity, they also secretly snickered that “he’ll be as successful as Thurmond was holding back civil rights.”

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Fishburne was nominated for a Tony Award for the one-man play in which he portrayed civil rights attorney and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

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Legal experts suggest that civil rights groups could argue Title VI violations due to disparate impact on LGBTQ+ populations and people of color.

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“Us lawyers have always been on the front lines, fighting for civil rights, for justice. ... I love being a lawyer, this is what we do: We fight for people. We fight for what’s right.”

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In the current attacks on DEI and the broader attack on civil rights, there has been a sharp dichotomy in terms of corporate responses.

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