individual rights
Each person's protections
Individual rights are freedoms and protections belonging to each person, typically understood as limits on government power.
These include rights to speech, religion, property, and due process.
The concept is central to liberal democracy: The Constitution guarantees individual rights against state intrusion.
Individual rights are often contrasted with collective interests or the common good.
Protected verbal liberty
- freedom of assemblyRight to gather peacefully
- freedom of religionRight to practice any faith
- petitionFormal written appeal
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
dissent · press freedom · freedom of movement · freedom of association · suffrage · equal treatment · nondiscrimination · citizenship
Guaranteed judicial fairness
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- amendmentChange to official text
- litigationLegal dispute process
- legal standingAuthority to pursue litigation
judicial review · injunction · habeas corpus · equal protection · plaintiff · defendant · precedent · statute
Control over one's fate
- personal libertyFreedom from external control
- agencyPower to act
- independenceFreedom from external control
- bodily autonomyControl over one's physique
privacy · self-governance · free will · consent · self-expression · personal freedom · noninterference · self-ownership
Incapable of being surrendered
- inherentExisting as essential part
- LockeEnglish empiricist philosopher's surname
- liberalismPhilosophy valuing reform, tolerance
- libertarianismMinimal-government political philosophy
social contract · Enlightenment · unalienable · endowed · self-evident · universal · human dignity · rationality
Measures preventing harm
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- ACLUAdvocacy group for constitutional protections
- ombudsmanPublic complaints investigator
watchdog · checks and balances · judicial oversight · constitutional court · accountability · transparency · whistleblower · remedy
free speech
Protected verbal liberty
- freedom of assemblyRight to gather peacefully
- freedom of religionRight to practice any faith
- petitionFormal written appeal
protest · dissent · press freedom · freedom of movement · freedom of association · suffrage · equal treatment · nondiscrimination · citizenship · due process
due process
Guaranteed judicial fairness
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- amendmentChange to official text
- litigationLegal dispute process
legal standing · judicial review · injunction · habeas corpus · equal protection · plaintiff · defendant · precedent · statute · remedy
self-determination
Control over one's fate
- personal libertyFreedom from external control
- agencyPower to act
- independenceFreedom from external control
bodily autonomy · privacy · self-governance · free will · consent · self-expression · personal freedom · noninterference · self-ownership · voluntary association
inalienable
Incapable of being surrendered
- inherentExisting as essential part
- LockeEnglish empiricist philosopher's surname
- liberalismPhilosophy valuing reform, tolerance
libertarianism · social contract · Enlightenment · unalienable · endowed · self-evident · universal · human dignity · rationality · personhood
safeguards
Measures preventing harm
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- ACLUAdvocacy group for constitutional protections
ombudsman · watchdog · checks and balances · judicial oversight · constitutional court · accountability · transparency · whistleblower · remedy · recourse
- freedomfreedom of choice, freedom of will, free will, expression, speech
- governancegovernance, government, democracy, vote, parliament
- rightscivil liberties, immunity, liberty, constitutional guarantees, fundamental freedoms
- constitutional lawConstitution, First Amendment, Second Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment
- human rightshuman dignity, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, fair trial
- autonomyfreedom, self-rule, independence, self-determination, free will
individual rightscollective rights
Entitlements held by communities
group rights · community rights · collective welfare · collectivism · public interest
individual rightscollectivism
Group primacy doctrine
totalitarianism · statism · communitarianism · authoritarianism · autocracy
right, individual, rights, righteous, rightly, rightful, individually, individuals, rightfully