Civil rights are those freedoms that protect individuals from unfair government interference and guarantee a person's ability to take part in public life without oppression or discrimination. These civil rights ensure people's freedom from discrimination due to gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, and more. They also protect people's access to the necessities and opportunities available in the public arena. From the beginning, America understood the need for these protections and included the Bill of Rights in the U. S. Constitution. Those rights needed more clarification and specificity in time, and the Civil Rights Movement began. The first clear legislation was enacted in 1948 to protect individuals from discrimination based on race. This executive order signed by President Truman provided enlisted men with equality of treatment and opportunity.