civil rights

plural noun

: rights that citizens are guaranteed by their government through legislation or other government action to ensure equal opportunities (as for employment, education, housing, or voting) and equal protection under the law regardless of personal characteristics such as race, religion, or sex

especially : the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress

Note: The 13th Amendment (ratified 1865) abolished slavery and the 14th Amendment (ratified 1868) granted citizenship and equal rights to all people born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people and African Americans generally. The 15th Amendment (ratified 1870) guaranteed the right to vote regardless of color or former enslavement.

compare civil liberty see also civil rights movement

Examples of civil rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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About the candidates: Collins is a civil rights attorney and member of the Atlanta Board of Education. —

Kristal Dixon, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024 The suit argued Terrell's civil rights were violated by actions taken by officers and named Sheriff Paul Penzone, Maricopa County, the City of Phoenix and city and county officers as defendants. —

Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024 Attorneys for the family of late civil rights leader Malcolm X are officially moving forward with an explosive, $100 million lawsuit against the U.S. government and several government agencies. —

Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 20 Nov. 2024 The report was conducted in collaboration with CAIR’s Center for the Prevention of Hate and Bullying, an anti-hate organization created by the nonprofit civil rights group in 2021. —

Molly Gibbs, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for civil rights