Unit 5: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
The civil liberties and civil rights granted to Americans in the U.S. Constitution are central to the American government. The founders' philosophical and political beliefs about individual freedoms and rights fundamentally shaped the American political system. These ideals continue to play a major role in our society. The Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, defines our rights and freedoms. However, our perception and realization of civil liberty and civil rights have changed as society has refashioned itself with every new challenge and historical event. In this unit, we explore the freedoms and rights of American citizens.
We begin by examining civil liberties guaranteed in the Constitution, especially in the Bill of Rights. We focus on the rights as defined by the First Amendment, including the right to free speech, religion, and the press. Next, we explore the evolution of civil rights in the American political system, emphasizing the civil rights movement and the political equality of all Americans. Pay attention to how the American political system has maintained a balance of order, freedom, equality, and rights.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- distinguish between civil rights and civil liberties;
- explain the history and importance of the Bill of Rights;
- examine the rights protected under the First Amendment and key Supreme Court cases that have defined these First Amendment rights;
- analyze the "right to privacy", its origins, and Supreme Court rulings on privacy; and
- discuss the process of expanding civil rights to other minorities and women.
5.1: American Civil Liberties
Civil liberties refer to the rights and freedoms of individuals that the U.S. Constitution says the government should not infringe upon. What these freedoms entail is much disputed in American politics and affects many policies.
Read this text that describes different types of civil liberties and their origins in the U.S. Constitution. What civil liberties are spelled out in the first ten amendments? Which civil liberties are most important to you? Why?
Read this text on speech, religion, and the press in the First Amendment. What is the Establishment Clause? Explain the concept of symbolic speech. These ideas are fundamental to protecting civil liberties in the United States.
Read this text on the rights of criminal suspects and the use of the plea bargain. Can you describe some positive and negative aspects of plea bargains in the criminal justice system?
Read this article. The framers of the Constitution remembered a government that unfairly accused and convicted people of crimes they did not commit. They wanted to ensure the new government they established would not do this. Therefore, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee essential protections for individuals accused of committing crimes in the United States.
Read this text on the Ninth and Tenth Amendments and their effect on the expansion of rights in the United States. While the concept of privacy is not explicitly found in the Constitution, the Amendments in this reading are often cited as providing the foundation for the Constitution to expand rights and function as a living document that changes with the times.
Watch this presentation to learn more about privacy rights established under the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment prevents the government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures. A reasonable search is conducted with a warrant issued by a judge based on probable cause. What is unreasonable varies with how much privacy people can expect when being searched.
5.2: Equality and Civil Rights
Civil rights protect people against discrimination. They focus on equal access to institutions, resources, and opportunities in the political system and society at large. Expanding civil rights is an ongoing obligation of a free and democratic society. In Unit One, we explored the aspirations in the Declaration of Independence and the challenges of meeting those aspirations in practice. In this section, we study how citizens have worked and sacrificed to make the goals of equality and freedom, which the framers envisioned during the early days of our nation, a reality for all Americans.
Read this text on the African American struggle for equality. Trace this effort – from the end of slavery through the campaign to secure voting rights and legal protections. What barriers to equality do you see in the United States today as we enter a new chapter of this struggle for equality in the United States?
Read this text on the fight for women's rights in the United States – from the early struggle to secure the right to vote to the ongoing controversy over Roe v. Wade (1973), which the Supreme Court overturned in 2022. The evolving struggle over reproductive rights has taken center stage at the state and national levels.
Read this description of the rights of Indigenous groups. Note the relationship between the federal bureaucracy and these indigenous communities.
Watch this talk from Judith Heumann about the development of the disability rights movement in the United States. Note the steps citizens take to impact the rights of people with disabilities.
Unit 5 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.