Armed with the Constitution: Jehovah's Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1939-1946 [Hardcover]

Merlin O. Newton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

 

This fascinating history underscores the importance of “little people” in affecting the U.S. government. It stresses the courage of a black man, Rosco Jones, and a white woman, Grace Marsh, who dared to challenge the status quo in Alabama in the early 1940s. These two Jehovah’s Witnesses helped to lay a foundation for testing the constitutionality of state and local laws, establishing precedents that the Civil Rights movement, the feminist movement, and similar forces could follow. Newton has prepared a finely woven tale of oral, legal, and social history that opens a window on the world of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Alabama.

            But the book is more than a legal study; it is also a dramatic history of two powerful personalities whose total commitment to their faith enabled them to carry the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ battle from rural Alabama to the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

 

“Newton’s work contributes to legal history, feminist history, religious history, and the history of the struggle of African Americans for civil rights. She rescues some people from obscurity and makes the point that even “little people” can make a difference in our country, a point that needs to be made repeatedly. A good read.” – Ronald B. Flowers, Texas Christian University

 

“Newton has an interesting story to tell, and she tells it very well. She is particularly skillful at bringing alive the principal characters in the story. She does an excellent job of tracing the development of Jones v. Opelika and Marsh v. Alabama and putting those cases in context by relating them to the outlook and operations of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, to the economic and social situation in Alabama during the late 1930s and early 1940s, and to the evolution of the constitutional law of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.” – Michal R. Belknap, California Western School of Law

 

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

 

Merlin Owen Newton is Associate Professor of History and Political Science at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: University of Alabama Press (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817307362
• ISBN-13: 978-0817307363
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,955,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an amazing book, August 4, 2008

By 

Biblefan (Boston MA U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Armed with the Constitution: Jehovah's Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S Supreme Court, 1939-1946 (Religion and American Culture (University of Alabama Paperback)) (Paperback)

This book is truly inspiring. This book contains two separate stories. Try to imagine what it was like in the United States in the years 1939-1946. Try to imagine what it was like for a black man to preach an unpopular message in the South in those years. This was years before the civil rights movement of the early 60's. This man Rosco Jones had amazing courage beyond words. He did not back down to the civil authorities, and continued to preach God's Word. He was arrested many times, and his cases were brought to court. when he lost, he appealed to higher courts. He also received much persecution. He eventually won these cases to have freedom of speech to spread the message of the Good News. The same can be said for Grace Marsh, a white woman. This was before the woman's movement of the 1970's. They won cases for freedom to preach door to door. Next time you think about your freedom of speech, you should thank these people. Whether you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses or not, you can't help admiring these people.