Civil Rights vs Civil Liberties

Civil Rights v. Civil Liberties

The difference between the civil liberties and civil rights has always been unclear and the terms are oftentimes misused. Before reading the text, the terms struck me as two very similar things, if not the same. Now I have a much better understanding that they are actually two very distinct terms. As stated in the textbook, Principles of American Government, the definition of our civil liberties is “limitations on government action, setting forth what the government cannot do” (Sidlow, Henschen, 74). A few examples of our civil liberties include freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the right to marry. These are considered civil liberties because U.S. citizens never have to worry about the government interfering. On the contrary, our civil rights refer to what the government is sanctioned to do to ensure the protection of Americans’ equal rights. A few examples of our civil rights include freedom from employment discrimination, freedom from discrimination in voter registration, and fair housing regardless of your race, gender, and whether or not you have a disability. While our civil liberties and civil rights both can be very beneficial, there are certain cases that a clash can exist between the two.

As of July 2015, people fighting to obtain their civil marriage right have accomplished their goal. Obergfell vs. Hodges will be historically remembered as the case in which the Supreme Court made a 5 to 4 ruling that it is unconstitutional to ban gay marriage, making gay marriage a federal law. The people who are pro gay marriage believed that the Supreme Court was interfering with our civil liberties being that the right to marry is one of them. LGBTI people also felt as if they were “most vulnerable to discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations”(Carptenter, para.1). However, once they got their way, another revolution began across America.

While a majority of Americans support same-sex marriage...