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Summary
Summary
When the Delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution, they knew it was not perfect. They were concerned their government might be too powerful and not respect the rights of its citizens. So at the first session of the United States Congress in 1789, they voted on a set of ten amendments, aimed to preserve and protect the rights and liberties of all citizens. These ten amendments comprise the Bill of Rights. As our country has grown, American citizens have continued to rely on this landmark document as a means to defend the liberties of all, across boundaries of race and gender, age and class, religion and ethics. Focusing on examples of ordinary citizens who have had the courage to challenge their government and raise their voices at injustice, Russell Freedman's compelling text is essential reading for every American.
Author Notes
Russell Freedman was born in San Francisco, California on October 11, 1929. He received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley in 1951. After college, he served in the U.S. Counter Intelligence Corps during the Korean War. After his military service, he became a reporter and editor with the Associated Press. In 1956, he took a position at the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson in New York, where he did publicity writing for television. In 1965, he became a full-time writer.
His first book, Teenagers Who Made History, was published in 1961. He went on to publish more than 60 nonfiction titles for young readers including Immigrant Kids, Cowboys of the Old West, Indian Chiefs, Martha Graham: A Dancer's Life, Confucius: The Golden Rule, Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America, Vietnam: A History of the War, and The Sinking of the Vasa. He received the Newbery Medal for Lincoln: A Photobiography and three Newbery Honors for Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane, and The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights. He also received the Regina Medal, the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Award, the Orbis Pictus Award, the Sibert Medal, a Sibert Honor, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and the National Humanities Medal. He died on March 16, 2018 at the age of 88.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Several books with American themes are making appearances this fall. In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights by Russell Freedman begins with the history of the document and its inspiration, and traces the ways in which these first 10 amendments to the Constitution have been applied to protect the liberties of ordinary citizens. From battles over the separation of church and state to stormy debates over gun control and the right to bear arms, the book demonstrates how the groundbreaking document led to advances in human rights, even as it continues to be a magnet for controversy. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Middle School, High School) Like a gifted and practiced teacher, Freedman leads young readers through an explanation of the Bill of Rights. For each of the ten amendments, he outlines historical background that informed the original writing, provides an overview of controversial aspects, and discusses landmark cases. The tone of this literary lecture is friendly, as if Freedman were having a real-time discussion with interested readers by sharing his thinking; answering anticipated questions (""Can burning an American flag be a permissible exercise of free speech?""); citing quoted and statistical information; and appending several aids (a discussion of sources, pertinent websites, a chapter-by-chapter listing of Supreme Court cases and directions for accessing them, and an index) for readers to explore these ideas further. Numerous illustrations cover historical as well as contemporary issues, showing, for example, people of Japanese descent being transported to internment camps in 1942, Ernesto Miranda with his lawyer in 1966, and Charlton Heston brandishing a gun before the National Rifle Association in 2002. The book concludes with a brief outline of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, added after the Civil War to show that the national government would protect and guarantee individual liberties even when those rights were denied or restricted by the states. That the Constitution is a living document is evident in cited court reversals as well as the inclusion of contemporary cases, such as a 2002 ruling concerning mandatory drug testing in the schools. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Once again, Freedman demonstrates his masterful ability to focus on those aspects of a historical event, figure, or, in this case, document, that will intrigue readers and give history a sense of immediacy. He prefaces his thorough examination of the Bill of Rights with some engaging questions: Can schoolchildren be required to salute the American flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance? Can a rap group be prosecuted for using "obscene" lyrics? Does the Constitution allow school officials to use physical punishment? Freedman briefly discusses the evolution of the Constitution and Bill of Rights from ideas first set forth in the Magna Carta and then examines the first 10 amendments in individual chapters packed with potential scenarios or real-life examples of infringements of Constitutional rights. Milton Meltzer's The Bill of Rights (HarperCollins, 1990), which is similar in scope, was written before the privacy issues raised by the advent of the Internet, new technological spying capabilities, the question of whether homeland security can be attained without sacrificing Sixth Amendment protections, and other issues that are considered here. The author describes and quotes from Supreme Court cases, which are listed in an index giving both print and online sources for the full texts of the decisions. Black-and-white photos and reproductions appear throughout. This excellent study of the continually evolving meaning and interpretation of the Bill of Rights is a fine companion volume to Freedman's Give Me Liberty! (Holiday, 2000) and is an essential purchase for all libraries.-Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The Bill of Rights is not a dusty, old document for dreary study in school, but a living document ever relevant to our lives. Birth control, abortion, drug searches, civil rights, book censorship, gun control, war protests, and terrorism are issues as fresh as today's newspaper, and they come alive in this excellent companion to the author's Give Me Liberty! (2000). He devotes a chapter to each of the Ten Amendments and Supreme Court cases testing the laws, and an additional chapter explores how the 14th Amendment guarantees "equal protection of the laws" and defines national citizenship. Thorough as he is in his attention to detail and documentation, Freedman never forgets he's telling a story. In clear, lively prose--supported by photographs, newspaper excerpts, engravings, and etchings--he tells the human stories behind the court cases. The index to Supreme Court cases and how to find them online is a valuable guide for researchers. The best resource available on the subject for young readers and essential for libraries and classrooms. (source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Table of Contents
| 1. A Knock on the Door in the Middle of the Night | p. 1 |
| 2. Why We Have the Bill of Rights | p. 3 |
| The Amendment 1, Part 1 p. 21 | |
| 3. Freedom of Religion | p. 23 |
| The Amendment 1, Part 2 p. 41 | |
| 4. Freedom of Expression | p. 43 |
| The Amendment 2 p. 63 | |
| 5. The Right to Bear Arms? | p. 65 |
| The Amendment 3 p. 77 | |
| 6. The Right to Be Left Alone: Uninvited Guests | p. 79 |
| The Amendment 4 p. 83 | |
| 7. The Right to Be Left Alone: Searches and Seizures | p. 85 |
| The Amendment 5 p. 101 | |
| 8. The Right to Remain Silent | p. 103 |
| The Amendments 6-7 p. 113 | |
| 9. The Right to a Fair Trial | p. 115 |
| The Amendment 8 p. 129 | |
| 10. Cruel and Unusual Punishment | p. 131 |
| The Amendment 9 p. 145 | |
| 11. The Mysterious Ninth | p. 147 |
| The Amendment 10 p. 155 | |
| 12. The Battle over States' Rights | p. 157 |
| 13. Madison's Most Valuable Amendment | p. 163 |
| 14. The Right to Differ | p. 171 |
| The Bill of Rights | p. 171 |
| The Bill of Rights (facsimile) | p. 175 |
| Notes | p. 176 |
| Index of Supreme Court Cases | p. 184 |
| Selected Bibliography | p. 187 |
| Index | p. 191 |
