Civil Rights Assignment

Superior Essays
Nadia Scalzo Prof.
Sharifian GOVT-2305-71430 20 , Sep. 2017
Civil Liberties v Civil Rights Assignment The preservation of civil rights and liberties act hand in hand to protect American citizens and uphold the standard of the American dream. Civil rights and civil liberties are two terms that often get confused with each other. Civil rights are simply everyone’s basic rights that are created to control equal treatment against discrimination. Civil rights also aid in protecting minorities and people based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, and disability (Stanford Journal). On the other hand, Civil liberties are limitations placed on government power by the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution to protect citizens’ individual rights.
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These rights are of great significance because they cannot be taken away from any citizen (FindLaw). Civil liberties focus on one’s personal freedoms whereas civil rights maintain freedom from persecution towards groups concerning certain human rights.
“Civil rights: 2 the nonpolitical rights of a citizen; especially: 2 the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress” (Merriam-Webster). As a high school senior, I am influenced by student voices as many students express their opinions through social media. Racial injustice is seen everywhere in America and is constantly argued in U.S. politics, becoming a “modern day civil rights movement” (Taylor, 2017). The controversy with racism in police brutality and the criminal justice system affect how we, as the youth, view our government and civil liberties. Racial oppression is not as brutal as it once was in the 1950’s, but there remains an “unfair policing of minorities” (Taylor, 2017) which should stand protected by civil rights. Citizens of America should use their freedoms to the benefit of our country by responsibly expressing their opinions on
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The election process starts with “primary elections” and then “nominating conventions” where each political party unites under selection of a nominee. This nominee is responsible for having a vice president candidate which both act together to create a campaign representing their political views for the country. In order to succeed, “the Presidential elections use the Electoral College” where each candidate must win the majority electoral votes (USA.gov). As we have seen, powerful political forces use civil liberties “to win battles and gain more power” (UMN Libraries). Supreme Court Justice systems will continue to impact our civil liberties and civil rights as we continue to have cases that change the law. In the Roper v. Simmons 2005 United States Supreme Court case, relating to one’s civil liberties, seventeen year old Simmons was convicted of planning and committing a capital murder. Simmons was tried as an adult because he could not be held to the jurisdiction of a juvenile court system and was sentenced the death penalty. This was not legal because of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, which restrict the execution of a mentally retarded person. The Eighth Amendment’s “prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments" acts as a key factor towards “restriction of the State’s power to take such an offender's life”. Also, the Constitution

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