Taking into account that civil rights and liberties are abstract concepts shaped by political values and debate, evaluate America's record of protecting the rights and liberties of its citizens.

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Alicia Duffey

American Politics: Essay Four

Taking into account that civil rights and liberties are abstract concepts shaped by political values and debate, evaluate America’s record of protecting the rights and liberties of its citizens.  (in approx 500 words)

Although the American Constitution and particularly the first 10 amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights promise the citizens of the United States certain rights and protections the civil rights record of the country highlights the fragile nature of such abstract promises.  The constitution does not define the meaning of such phrases as ‘liberty’ or ‘equal rights,’ it the responsibility of the courts, the un-elected branch of government,  to make meaning through rulings they make on cases of constitutional importance.  As we examine the history of such rulings and their impact upon the civil rights of many American citizens we see that the record in this area is reflective of  a consistent reality of American political culture – the recognition of the evils of inequality but a reluctance to take any steps to eliminate it. (Dye & Zeigler, 1987, p 371)

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We firstly see this enacted, ironically, upon the implementation of the Bill of Rights which ensured the civil rights and liberties of Americans, that is white male Americans only, and only in cases of Federal law, the states remained exempt.  For decades after the passage of the Bill of Rights it reflected the conservative bias of the judiciary, allowing for such injustices as continued slavery then ‘separate but equal’ and a plethora of laws that protected commerce but not people.  Civil rights and liberties at this point in history were defined by the elites in favour of elites who ...

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