Civil liberties, also known as individual liberties, are civil rights and freedoms that protect the individual from the discretionary power of the state, setting the limits of state interference in the private life of citizens and preventing the abuse of power. Although the scope of the concept may vary by country, some examples of civil liberties include: the right to liberty and security; freedom of conscience; religious freedom; freedom of expression; freedom of association and assembly; the right to privacy; the right to a fair trial (due process); the right to a fair trial; the right to own property; the right to defend oneself; the right not to be tortured; the right not to suffer a forced disappearance; freedom of the press; equality before the law; the right to life; and the right to bodily integrity. These are protected by the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
Civil rights are rights that protect individual freedoms from their illegal breach (repression) by the power (be that of governments or any other public or private political agent), and guarantee the citizen's ability to participate in life civil and political state in conditions of equality, and without discrimination. These are protected by the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments.
The government’s role in protecting civil liberties and civil rights are both similar because lawmakers work to get rid of legislation that violates civil liberties or civil rights. They are also both different because they are trying to get rid for laws for two different reasons, one is getting rid of unconstitutional laws that violates the bill of rights while the other is trying to get rid of laws to make equal opportunities for every citizen in the U.S. Both categories are important because they give U.S. citizens much of their power.
