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Article: Civil Rights and Liberties
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
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CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
refer to the various spheres of individual and group freedoms that are deemed to be so fundamental as not to tolerate infringement by government. These include the fundamental political rights, especially the franchise, that offer the citizen the opportunity to participate in the administration of governmental affairs. Since these individual and group freedoms may also be abridged by the action or inaction of private institutions, demand has increased for positive governmental action to promote and encourage their preservation.
Constitutional provisions, statutes, and court decisions have been the principal means of acknowledging ...