Reference no: EM133490781

Reflection Journal: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Movements

We have talked throughout this week that at the birth of our country there are fundamental protections of all US citizens identified within the Bill of Rights. However, these rights, while identified, were not always protected. Through the course of the past 230+ years our country has witnessed numerous movements (e.g., Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Native American, Islamic-Americans, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ community), supported by additional Constitutional Amendments, Supreme Court decisions, and legislations that have helped to further secure the civil rights and liberties of the American people.

As Krutz and Waskiewicz (2021) explained "civil rights are guarantees by the government that it will treat people equally - particularly people belonging to groups that have historically been denied the same opportunities as others... and civil liberties are limitations on government power designed to protect our fundamental freedoms."

For this Reflection Journal, select one civil rights or civil liberties movement that is important to you and reflect upon its importance and its impact on society then... and now. Once you have selected your civil rights or civil liberties movement, consider the following questions for your Reflection Journal:

1. Identify your movement and provide an overview of it.

2. What was its impact on society when it took place?

3. As we have seen, historical events do not happen in a vacuum. They will impact future events. How do you think this movement is still impacting society today?

4. If it is not impacting society today, how/why did it lose its momentum?