Study GuideAmerican Government–Civil Rights1.Slavery and Civil RightsCivil libertiesandcivil rightsare related, but they are not the same thing.•Civil libertiesprotect individuals from unfair government actions.•Civil rightsfocus on protecting people fromdiscriminationbased on characteristics such asrace, religion, national origin, gender, or age.Civil rights are rooted in theEqual Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which saysthat no state may “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Thisclause became the foundation for the long struggle for equality in the United States.1.1A Long Struggle for EqualityAlthough the United States was founded on the idea that “all men are created equal,” the reality wasvery different. For much of American history, laws did not treat people equally. In fact, it was not untilthemid-20th centurythat the nation began taking serious, widespread action against discrimination.To understand civil rights today, it helps to look at key moments in history that shaped the debate—especially the issue ofslavery.1.2Slavery in Early AmericaSlavery existed in the United States from its earliest days and waslegal until 1865. While theConstitution avoided directly mentioning slavery (except for the slave trade), it largely left the issue tothe states.Over time:•Northern statesgradually ended slavery before the Civil War.•However, free African Americans in the North werenot treated as equals. Many were deniedthe right to vote, hold office, serve on juries, or join the militia.This inequality showed that ending slavery did not automatically mean full civil rights.Preview Mode
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