civil rights

Rights of citizens to be protected against discrimination or arbitrary treatment by government or individuals and to engage in certain behaviors as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others. In the United States, these rights include those guaranteed in the Constitution's Bill of Rights (such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press) and others instituted since the adoption of the Bill of Rights (such as due process and equal protection under the law). Several civil rights acts and constitutional amendments have sought to bestow specific protections on African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups. This legislation includes such acts as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the 1968 housing acts designed to eliminate discrimination in housing and real estate. See also civil liberties.