The Bill of Rights were added to the United States Constitution in order to protect the people’s rights from the national government. Civil liberties are personal rights that are guaranteed to be upheld and protected by the law from the government or any other entity. Federalist and Anti-Federalists argued if the Bill of Rights were needed to limit the power of the federal government. Civil liberties are either clearly stated in the Bill of Rights and Constitution or were inferred through time by the courts or legislatures. Civil liberties are important to a Constitutional Republic because they protect individual from entities more powerful than them therefore protecting the idea Constitutional Republic. Alexander Hamilton led the Federalists …show more content…
For example, the First Amendment stops the government from infringing upon peoples right to exercise religion of their choice. The states and national government can’t stop people from following a religion that they choose even if judges and politicians think their religion is seen as inappropriate. People are free to make their own religion and persuade others to follow it even if the government or anyone else disapproves of it. The Eighth Amendment says the government can’t impose “cruel and unusual punishment” on people because of criminal acts they’ve committed. On the other hand, civil rights are guarantees that people will be treated equally by government officials. “Typically, in contemporary legal circles, civil rights are considered guarantees that individuals can engage in activities central to participation in society, such as the citizen’s right to vote or petition the government, and that individuals are assured due process and equal protection under the law” (Kollman …show more content…
Civil Liberties in the United States are firm unalienable rights reserved by citizens of the United states under the Constitution of United States, as understood and made clear by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Constitution, more so in the Bill of Rights protects civil liberties. The passages of the Fourteenth Amendment further defending civil liberties by presenting the Equal Proctection Clause, Due Process Clause, and the Privileges or Immunities. The rights of humans in the united states in the United States are often referred to as civil rights which are rights given to all people. Different from political rights which are that inhere to those who participate in election as voters or candidates. The amount of civil liberties and the margin of the citizens of the United States who had contact to these liberties has expanded over time. The Constitution did not initially define who was eligible to vote, permitting each state to determine who was entitled to those rights. Earlier in history of the United States most states only let white males who owned property to vote, which was on about 6% of the population. ‘Three-Fifths Compromise’ let southern slaveholders combine their power and keep slavery in America for many years after the approval of the Constitution. The