Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, political and social concepts referring to guarantees of freedom, justice, and equality that a state may make to its citizens. Although the terms have no precise meaning in law and are sometimes used interchangeably, distinctions may be made. Civil rights is used to imply that the state has a positive role in ensuring all citizens equal protection under law and equal opportunity to exercise the privileges of citizenship and otherwise …showed first 75 words of 4092 total…

…showed last 75 words of 4092 total…s introduced human rights as an element of foreign policy. This initiative was unevenly pressed and sometimes ineffectual, but it increased international awareness of the gravity of the problem of securing human rights for all people. The Reagan administration took a less aggressive stance on human rights violations, claiming that quiet diplomacy was more effective than public threats. For additional information on individuals mentioned, see biographies of those whose names are not followed by dates.