civil rights

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 blacks.
Origin
1715-25
Related forms
civil-rights, adjective
Examples from the web for civil rights
  • Unfortunately, that would be a violation of her civil rights.
  • If people are against the infringements of civil rights they infringe anyway.
  • But the move is raising concerns among privacy and civil rights advocates.
  • And my guess is the last time there was two weeks of nonstop civil disobedience may have been back in the civil rights movement.
  • Unfortunately the civil rights crowd now determines national policy.
  • All the civil rights that ought to accrue to any set of partners, regardless of gender should be protected by society and by law.
  • civil rights protesters did not use violence nor did they obnoxiously taunt their presumed antagonists.
  • The advancement in civil rights is treated less favorably than in previous editions.
  • Let's first focus on people with a cause, civil rights or democracy, and give them proper protection.
  • Though the decision helped spur the civil rights movement and paved the way for integration, it was not welcomed overnight.
British Dictionary definitions for civil rights

civil rights

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
Word Origin and History for civil rights
n.

1721, American English; specifically of black U.S. citizens from 1866.

civil rights in Culture

civil rights definition


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.

Note: 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.