The term 'civil rights' refers to the rights of individuals to be treated equally under the law, regardless of race, gender, religion, or other factors. The crossword solution for this term is 'CAUSE, ' which indicates that civil rights are a CAUSE that people fight for and strive to protect. Civil rights have been a major issue in the United States since the country's founding, and the struggle for civil rights has been a major part of the American experience.