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What is Civil Rights?

Civil rights have been a major focus of life in the United States since its inception. The founding fathers of this country believed that all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While these ideals were present at the founding of our nation, realizing these rights for all people has been a hard fought battle that continues to this day.

Over the years, several civil rights acts have been passed to protect certain people groups against discrimination and provide them the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. Today, when you hear people talking about the Civil Rights Act they are generally referring to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark document that made racial segregation illegal in the United States. It also provided for the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to ensure fair employment practices. The Civil Rights Act was not only monumental for race relations in the United States, but guaranteed that no one would be discriminated against based on their color, sex, age, nation of origin or religion.

Despite legislative action taken to prevent discrimination, civil rights violations still occur. When actions are taken to limit the rights of any person on the basis of sex, religion, age, race, color, or disability, a civil rights violation has occurred. It is imperative to have a competent civil rights attorney on your side if you have been the victim of a civil rights violation.

Civil rights cases can be difficult legal actions to take. Proving that discrimination did, indeed, take place, is often based on circumstantial evidence as many employers and people of power are too savvy to make a blatant discriminatory statement or take an action that would provide direct evidence against them. Additionally, you must also be able to counter denials made by the person or institution who violated your civil rights.

Civil rights cases are often complex and demand skill and expertise of a civil rights attorney to be successful. A civil rights lawyer should be intimately familiar with civil rights legislation and have the knowledge and resources to adequately defend your case.

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Civil Rights Articles

• Civil Rights: An Overview What are your civil rights?

Civil Rights Links

• ABA Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section Includes magazine, news, membership and events information.
• The Alliance For Justice Dedicated to the survival and growth of public interest advocacy.
• American Civil Liberties Union Information on civil rights and civil liberties issues. 
• The American Civil Rights Institute A national civil rights organization

More Civil Rights Links

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