Civil Rights Law:
July 4, 1776, is a very important day in the history of the United States as this is the day when the Declaration of Independence was issued. This declaration stated that all men were created equal and should be treated as such. But these words did not translate into action and millions of Americans were treated unfairly either due to their skin color, or by virtue of the fact that they were women or disabled and thus not fit to be treated as equals.
As America grew to become a great and leading nation in the world, many civil rights laws were enacted to protect some basic rights of all American citizens irrespective of who they were. A civil right is a right that has been conferred by the federal government on the citizens of America. Under each subsequent civil rights statute, more and more civil rights were bestowed on the people of America. The most important of all civil rights statutes is the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. It includes the following civil rights:
- Places of Public Accommodation: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against any person because of their caste, color, sex, religion, race, or nationality in public restaurants, hotels, theaters, motels, and other places of public accommodation.
- Institutionalized People: People who are in government institutions such as government nursing homes, old-age homes, and prisons have a civil right to be treated fairly and constitutionally. They have a right to basic amenities such as clean surroundings, water, food, qualified doctors and nurses to care for them, and conditions which are not harmful to their safety or sanity. They also have a right not to be abused either physically or emotionally by their caregivers or their supervisors.
- Voting: Before 1964, African-Americans were not allowed to vote because of their skin color and race. Practices such as literacy tests and poll taxes were very prevalent to discourage them from voting. But after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, it became illegal to discriminate against people because of their race or color and such people could not be stopped from voting if they so wished. Thus the Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave the African-Americans the all important civil right to vote.
- Disabled Americans: Under the civil rights law, it is illegal to discriminate against any person because of any disability. Such rights extend to public places, transport services, and to the workplace. However, it is not unlawful to not hire someone with a disability if such a disability can interfere with their work and affect their performance on the job. This is not termed as discrimination and is not a violation of any civil rights.
Protection under Civil Rights Law
Under the law, people of all races have civil rights and cannot be discriminated against due to their race or color. People usually take this to apply only to African- Americans, but the law applies to Hispanics, Asians, and white people as well. Even a Caucasian American has the right to sue if he/she is discriminated against unlawfully and has had their civil rights violated.
The Civil Rights Division
In 1957, The Department of Justice established a section known as the Civil Rights Division, which is responsible for protecting the civil rights of people. This division is in charge of imposing the Civil Rights Laws that have been enacted and passed by the congress to protect people from all types of discrimination. If the civil rights of any person are violated, then this division is responsible for investigating any complaints that may arise out of such violation.
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