Civil Liberties I

Democracy and Citizenship

 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

• Civil liberties are guarantees of freedom from government

interference;

• Civil rights are government guarantees of equal treatment without

discrimination based on characteristics an individual shares with a
particular population.
 Human Rights

• Human rights are often called inalienable rights, which can be neither given
nor taken away;

• Human rights include both civil liberties and civil rights;

• These rights are the basis for freedom, justice, and peace in the world;

• They do not emanate from a governmental structure; however , it takes

government action to recognize how they apply to people.
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR)
• UDHR was adopted in 1948;

• The question of its efficacy;

• https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-
rights
The Bill of Rights in the US Constitution
 Constitutions and Individual Liberties

• Codified and non-codified constitutions;

• Negative and positive rights in constitutions (

https://youtu.be/860dkNY1QFU)
 Individualist and Communitarian Systems of
Governance
• In an individualist system, individuals take precedence over the
government. Society rests on the principle that individuals inherently
possess rights that the government should preserve and promote;

• A communitarian system emphasizes the role the government plays in

the lives of citizens. Communitarian systems are grounded in the
belief that people need the community and its values to create a
cohesive society.
 Constitutionalism

• The rule of law: The limited government and individual rights;

• The concept of due process (https://youtu.be/BY6OXhH7iIw)