civil rights

American  

[siv-uhl rahyts] / ˈsɪv əl ˈraɪts /

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.

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civil rights British  

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

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civil rights Cultural  

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.

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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.

Etymology

Origin of civil rights

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

Carter, in his ruling Thursday, took particular issue with the Justice Department’s reliance on federal civil rights laws to make its case.

From Los Angeles Times

Rev. Bernice King, daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., released a statement in support of Jones.

From Los Angeles Times

“Maybe by telling my story — something I was afraid to do for a long time — kids will have a better understanding about what the civil rights movement was about.”

From Salon

“These statements were lies,” Zapata Rivera alleges in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit he filed against the ICE agent who used the carotid restraint.

From Salon

A West Virginia high school student also alleges that the state's ban runs counter to federal civil rights law.

From BBC

Related Words

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