Are Civil Liberties and Civil Rights the Same?

             The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday is about civil liberties and civil rights. According to my textbook, We The People, they are related but different.

Civil liberties protect people from the government. Civil rights are protections of citizen equality by the government. The foundations of civil liberties and civil rights re to be found in the state and federal constitutions, which guarantee freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and so forth. The federal Constitution’s Bill of Rights includes both liberties and rights.

            Some examples of the differences are as follow. The government cannot restrict freedom of speech because it is a civil liberty. Conservatives have the civil right to not be discriminated against when invited to speak at universities. Universities have the responsibility to treat both liberal and conservative speakers fairly. This is not done in most cases, and universities should stand up against the liberal mob who will not listen to conservative viewpoints.

            Another example is that government and civilian employers have the civil liberty to determine who is promoted. There is no civil right to be promoted. However, employees have the civil right to be treated fairly and considered equally about being promoted if they have the required training, skills, and experience without regard to gender, race, religion, etc.

            Civil liberties concern things that the government must not do, and civil rights concern things that the government must do to protect citizens against discrimination.