Civil liberties are the sorts of things guaranteed to American citizens in the Constitution's Bill of Rights. I realize that's confusing because it's called the "Bill of Rights" rather than "liberties." But they are certain liberties or freedoms that are guaranteed to all: Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, etc, along with basic rights like the right to a fair trial, the right to vote, etc. Civil liberties are viewed from the standpoint of all persons equally.
Civil rights pertain to each person's right to operate as an equal in society and not be discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, etc -- in a wider array of situations than just the liberties assured in the Bill of Rights. For example, the Constitution does not give every person the right to be accepted into college. (That's not a guaranteed civil liberty under the Constitution.) But if a college is shown to discriminate against you and deny your enrollment because of your race or gender or disability or some other factor, then they have violated your civil rights to equal treatment.
Answer:
Tensions ran high in Boston in early 1770. More than 2,000 British soldiers occupied the city of 16,000 colonists and tried to enforce Britain’s tax laws, like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. American colonists rebelled against the taxes they found repressive, rallying around the cry, “no taxation without representation.”
Skirmishes between colonists and soldiers—and between patriot colonists and colonists loyal to Britain (loyalists)—were increasingly common. To protest taxes, patriots often vandalized stores selling British goods and intimidated store merchants and their customers.
On February 22, a mob of patriots attacked a known loyalist’s store. Customs officer Ebenezer Richardson lived near the store and tried to break up the rock-pelting crowd by firing his gun through the window of his home. His gunfire struck and killed an 11-year-old boy named Christopher Seider and further enraged the patriots.
Several days later, a fight broke out between local workers and British soldiers. It ended without serious bloodshed but helped set the stage for the bloody incident yet to come.
Explanation:
A document released by the republican party during the 1994 congressional election campaign.
