In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Russell Freedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2003 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 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
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-10. Freedman is at his best in this compelling, timely discussion of the Constitution and civil liberties. In his signature clear, conversational prose, he talks about the history of the Bill of Rights, from the time it was first voted on two centuries ago through the ongoing struggle to keep people free. What does that word people mean? For a long time, the term didn't include African Americans, Native Americans, or women. Freedman devotes a chapter to each amendment, covering its origin, various interpretations, landmark Supreme Court cases, and, always, the contemporary scene, including the conflicts now raging about national security and individual freedom in the aftermath of 9/11. He cites many cases involving young people and he is careful to discuss many sides of controversial topics such as abortion and capital punishment. The book design is beautiful, with thick paper, lots of white space, historical prints (including an archival print of the Bill of Rights), and lots of photos. This is a must for classroom discussion and personal interest, and the source notes and annotated bibliography at the back, as spaciously laid out as the text, will help readers find out more. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1 edition (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823415856
• ISBN-13: 978-0823415854
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Russell Freedman received the Newbery Medal for LINCOLN: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY. He is also the recipient of three Newbery Honors, a National Humanities Medal, the Sibert Medal, the Orbis Pictus Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and was selected to give the 2006 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Mr. Freedman lives in New York City and travels widely to research his books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding discussion of the Bill of Rights, May 31, 2004

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) (Hardcover)

In my opinion, every public library should have two copies of this book - one for the children/young adult section (its primary audience) and another for the adult nonfiction section. In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights is as straightforward and educational as any book I've seen on the subject, and anyone who was born an American, sought and won American citizenship, or is just thinking about becoming an American would do well to read this book. America's enemies could also learn a lot from this book, as it clearly shows the unprecedented liberties upon which this nation was founded and still abides.

After an introductory chapter or two setting the stage for the birth of the Constitution and the passionate demands for a Bill of Rights to protect the freedoms of every single American, Russell Freedman launches into a cogent discussion of each of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. He refers back to English law as far back as the signing of the Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689) for the precedents and origins of the liberties espoused by the Founding Fathers. "We the people" were not asking for concessions and liberties from the new central government; they were codifying the primacy of these individual freedoms and drawing a clear line in the sand over which the new government would not be allowed to cross. The author points out that the freedoms espoused in the Bill of Rights were not enjoyed by every American for many years to come, but he shows how the document was flexible enough to serve an ever-changing nation over the course of time. It is easy to take for granted the Bill of Rights today, but this truly was the cornerstone of a government the likes of which the world had never seen.

Freedman's discussion of each individual amendment is broad and impressive. Not only does he explain the origins of each amendment, he offers examples of challenges to the laws, most often by ordinary citizens, and the historical judgments delivered by the Supreme Court in response. In many cases, the Court reversed decisions it had made in earlier times, and Freedman uses this evolution of policy and judicial determination to show how the principles of the Bill of Rights have been shorn up and strengthened over time. He also refers to hot button questions of the present time, showing that the Bill of Rights is just as relevant now as it ever was. Through the examples of history and the illuminating examples of modern challenges and interpretations of the laws, Freedman makes this aged, weathered document bristle with the life and energy that is required for the nation to remain true to the principles upon which it was founded.

I daresay you will get a much better understanding of the Bill of Rights by reading this book than you ever will from reading a history textbook. In Defense of Liberty is written by only one person, but surely it is written for the people. I should also mention the fact that the author provides a bibliography of recommended readings for young readers in particular. If nothing else, should you run across this book, pick it up and read the back cover because, if you are an American, there you will find your Bill of Rights.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richie's Picks: IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY, October 2, 2003

By 

Richie Partington "Richie's Picks" (Sebastopol, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) (Hardcover)

On April 23, 2003, William Baue reported in SocialFunds.com:

IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY: THE STORY OF AMERICA'S BILL OF RIGHTS is first a brief history of the formulation of the US Bill of Rights. It is also a look at how the black-robed trustees of the "462 words written two centuries ago" which "promise the basic civil liberties that all Americans enjoy as their birthright" have not always kept that promise for all Americans, and it examines how these words are interpreted and reinterpreted as the group of individuals serving on the Supreme Court change, as society, technology, and other factors change, and as new circumstances and new laws come into play.

Interpretation of new laws in relationship to the Constitution is called judicial review. When it comes to the Bill of Rights, judicial review constantly reveals those 462 words to be a living, enduring organism that is relevant today, no matter what day today is. It causes many of us to be forever amazed by the genius of the Founding Fathers in gathering these words/ideas/ideals (particularly when they and their progeny were such jerks in keeping those sacred rights to themselves and their white male moneyed Protestant slave-owning counterparts for so damned long).

For such a book to have some lasting value to a reader and to a library collection, it must illuminate the beginnings and flow of Constitutional history in such a way that readers can understand the process and utilize that understanding as a stepping stone for future exploration as the Bill of Rights continues evolving through new justices and new Court cases.

Russell Freedman's book does just that. It shows how times change and decisions change. It provides juicy, sometimes gross examples of behavior that resulted in the promulgation of the English Common Law, the English Bill of Rights and how those rights and American colonial-period behaviors all contributed to these first ten Amendments to the US Constitution.

Freedman presents many historic decisions--later "corrected" by more-recent Justices--that (hopefully) all of us would agree in retrospect were unfair. Some early examples are a result of a Supreme Court ruling in the early 1800s that the Bill of Rights applied only to the national government. Thus (besides the slaves, the Native Americans, and the boorish treatment of women) you had other situations I wasn't aware of such as:

"In New Jersey, non-Protestants weren't granted full civil rights until 1844. In New Hampshire, Catholics couldn't vote until 1851."

But the vast proportion of the information and cases that Russell Freedman presents involve issues that are relevant and vital to today's teens. Discussion of Japanese Internment is followed by a look at the treatment and roundups of Muslim and Arab men in America following September 11th. Freedman explores many other hot-button issues such as reproductive freedom, high-tech snooping, random drug testing, the Internet, and the Death Penalty. I found his presentation of the modern issues and historic precedents surrounding the Second Amendment to be especially thought-provoking. (I'd love to see classroom discussion of that chapter coupled with a viewing of Bowling for Columbine.)

Accompanying both the historic and current issues are great tie-in photos and other illustrations. For instance, back in February we discussed with our students Bretton Barber, the Michigan kid who was kicked out of school for wearing a shirt with a printed photo of the President captioned "International Terrorist." Barber--who along with the ACLU has a lawsuit pending against the school district--invoked the Tinker v. Des Moines case from the 1960s in asserting his right to wear that shirt. Not only does this book include discussion of the Tinker case, it has a great photo of the two Tinker kids holding their black armbands emblazoned with peace symbols. (In ruling for the Tinker siblings, the Court decreed that constitutional protections "are not shed at the school house gate.")

The more sophisticated history students will consume this book quickly and be hungry for more. They will be able to dig into the extensive bibliographical sources that Freedman provides us, the majority of which have been published within the last decade. But the typical eighth-grade American History student will find this book in itself a wealth of information and a doorway to the beauty and enduring nature of our country's most precious of documents.

Richie Partington
....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Explanation of the Amendments, August 11, 2007

By 

Thomas Fowler - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) (Hardcover)

In Defense of Liberty is a book I began reading with almost no expectation that it would be interesting. I thought it would be filled with thousands of blatant facts, ones that would be hard to understand and even harder to remember. I was wrong. The book was introduced with a dramatic narrative, followed by the true story behind the Bill of Rights. With case examples behind every amendment, the struggle to understand was not a hard one. Although many facts were introduced, this was not done in an overwhelming manner, and most were directly related to the case being described.

My personal favorite part of this book was when a case involving two young Jehovah Witnesses was used to show the development of freedom of religion. The simple act of not saluting the American flag was tried and often punished. Throughout the book the progress made as a result of the amendments was described, in a way similar to a timeline. My least favorite part occurred when James Madisons' most valuable amendment that was not added to the Bill of Rights was cross examined. Although this part was necessary, I thought it could have been done in a more interesting way.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in our nations' government and history. With whole chapters on each amendment, as well as how they came about, this book gives a full explanation of the Bill of Rights. I feel this book probably has the answers to many commonly sought after questions concerning our nation and its government. I think that everyone interested in Americas' laws and policies should read In Defense of Liberty, it is a book that should not go unnoticed.