Political Science 1101 - Dr. Raj

In the years following World War I, America was gripped by the fear that the Communist Revolution that had taken place in Russia would spread to the United States. As is often the case when fear outweighs rational debate, civil liberties paid the price. In November 1919 and January 1920, in what notoriously became known as the “Palmer Raids,” Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began rounding up and deporting so-called radicals. Thousands of people were arrested without warrants and without regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure. Those arrested were brutally treated and held in horrible conditions.

In the face of these egregious civil liberties abuses, a small group of people decided to take a stand, and thus was born the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute's Definition of Civil Liberties

Browse pro and con issues around various civil liberties in database Issues & Controversies.

Safeguarding civil rights and civil liberties is elemental to all the work we do at DHS. The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) supports the Department's mission to secure the nation while preserving individual liberty, fairness, and equality under the law.

More information about the nation's benchmark civil rights legislation.

The Civil Rights Division enforces federal laws that protect you from discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, disability status, sex, religion, familial status, or loss of other constitutional rights.

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Since then, Congress has reauthorized or extended the legislation creating the Commission several times; the last reauthorization was in 1994 by the Civil Rights Commission Amendments Act of 1994.

The Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute's Definition of Civil Rights

Browse pro and con issues around various civil rights in database Issues & Controversies.

The Civil Rights Journal is published by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights as part of its clearinghouse responsibilities.

For 80 years, one legal organization has supported the rights of the individual against the majority and the government, igniting rage in conservatives and liberals alike. That organization is the ACLU, and it has virtually molded our national ideal of liberty. Its history reads like a case study of freedom of expression and minority rights in the 20th century. This program, with commentary from Oliver North, Dave Barry, and Molly Ivins, traces the tumultuous history of that organization from its inception by founder Roger Baldwin, through dozens of legal challenges over the past century, including the Scopes trial, the 1930s labor strikes, Japanese internment, the HUAC hearings and blacklisting, the Vietnam war crimes trials, the American Nazi Party’s bid to march in Skokie, Illinois, and others.

This program examines the First, Fourth, and Sixth Constitutional Amendments to show how the Bill of Rights protects individual citizens from excessive or arbitrary government interference, yet, contrary to the belief of many Americans, does not grant unlimited rights.

In 1215, the Magna Carta limited the King's authority and granted legal rights. The U.S. Constitution protects against government tyranny and the Bill of Rights guarantees individual rights when faced with prosecution. Legal experts explain the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Amendments.