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Culture Documents
This chapter is about civil rights. It is split into three main sections, the
changing legal protection status of racial minorities, women, and gays. A
continuing element in this chapter is the 14th Amendment, which
guarantees equal protection under the law to all citizens. Due to the
ambiguous language of this amendment, many controversial civil rights
decisions have taken place, and opinion on the issue frequently changes
over time. Many civil rights issues are determined by the Court and
Congress, though civil rights also has a powerful social component.