In the US some human rights are guaranteed directly by the constitution (some forms of slavery are not allowed, the right for women to vote). Others are guarant

In the US some human rights are guaranteed directly by the constitution (some forms of slavery are not allowed, the right for women to vote). Others are guaranteed by federal laws (pay discrimination between sexes is a federal law). Yet others are defined by court rulings around specific laws (famously, your right to know certain rights when you are arrested. The thing you see on American TV: "You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an attorney..." is a side effect of a court ruling). Still other rights come from State specific laws or constitutions (Abortion, notoriously, is a right that is no longer guaranteed federally, but is now delegated to the states.) The US is pretty complex, and actually has one of the older governments in the west (Europe included) despite being a relatively new country. One thing to keep in mind is that the US was originally conceived as something much closer to the EU than as it's own country. The US government was originally MUCH more limited, and the individual states had much more power.