A civil liberty is a freedom from having a government or individual interfere in one’s pursuits unnecessarily. The term is usually used in the plural. Examples of civil liberties are freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to privacy. In most democratic countries, a constitution guarantees the civil liberties of its citizens. In the United States, civil liberties are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. In countries with authoritarian governments, a constitution may officially state that civil liberties are protected, but in practice these freedoms from government intrusion are ignored.
Civil liberties are similar to civil rights, and in everyday speech the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Specifically, though, civil liberties are freedoms that are secured by placing limitations on a government’s power. They restrain the government from interfering in the life of a private citizen or from restricting what that person can say or do. Freedom of religion, for example, means that a government cannot stop a citizen from following a particular religion. On the other hand, civil rights are guarantees of equal social opportunities and equal protection under the law, regardless of race, religion, or other personal characteristics. Examples of civil rights are the right to vote, the right to a fair trial, and the right to a public education. In contrast to civil liberties, civil rights are secured by positive government action, often in the form of laws. The term civil right is often used to refer to the obligation of a government to protect people from violations of one or more of their civil liberties—for example, the duty to protect minorities from discrimination on the basis of race or religion. (See also American Civil Liberties Union; civil rights movement.)