Liberty and Freedom
Suggested Reading
BOOKS FOR ADULTS
Books focusing on modern interpretations of the Bill of Rights as illustrated by court cases:
Alderman, Ellen and Caroline Kennedy. In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action. Harper, 1992.
Arsenault, Raymond, ed., Crucible of Liberty: Two Hundred Years of the Bill of Rights. New York: Free Press, 1991.
Barker, Lucius J., and Twiley W. Barker, Jr., eds. Civil Liberties and the Constitution: Cases and Commentaries. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1975.
Bodenhamer, David J. Fair Trial: Rights of the Accused in American History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Cavanagh, John S. Decision at Fayetteville: The North Carolina Ratification Convention and General Assembly of 1789. This book tells about the two meetings that resulted in North Carolina's ratification of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Chamberlain, Bill F., and Charlene J. Brown, The First Amendment Reconsidered: New Perspectives on the Meaning of Freedom of Speech and Press. New york: Longman, 1982.
Dumbauld, Edward. The Bill of Rights and What It Means Today. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1979.
Hickcock, Jr., Eugene W. The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1991.
Iron, Peter. The Courage of Their Convictions. New York: Free Press, 1988.
Massengill, Steve. North Carolina Votes on the Constitution: A Rosterof Delegates to the State Ratification Conventions of 1788 and 1789.
Konvitx, Milton R.,ed. Bill of Rights Reader: Leading Constitutional Cases. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1960.
Price, William S., Jr., There Ought to Be a Bill of Rights: North Carolina Enters a New Nation. This book examines North Carolina's pivotal role in the struggle for adoption of the Bill of Rights.
Weinberger, Andrew D. Freedom and Protection: The Bill of Rights. San Francisco: Chandler Publishing, 1962.
BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
Banks, Joan. The U.S. Constitution. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001.
Dudley, William, ed. The Bill of Rights: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1995. These book features essays by scholars offering opposing points of view about the meaning and impact of the Bill of Rights.
Evans, J. Edward, Freedom of Speech. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1990.
Faber, Doris, and Harold Faber. We the People: The Story of the United States Constitution Since 1787. New York: Scribner’s, 1987.
Heymsfeld, Carla R. and Joan W. Lewis. George Mason, Father of the Bill of Rights. Alexandria, VA: Patriotic Education Inc., 1991.
Hudson, Jr., David L. The Bill of Rights: The First Ten Amendments of the Constitution. Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2002. This book offers several chapters on the development of the Bill of Rights as well as examples of court cases that offer interpretations of those rights. It also includes the text of the Constitution.
Krull, Kathleen. A Kid’s Guide to America’s Bill of Rights: Curfews, Censorship, and the 100-pound Giant. New York: Avon, 1999.
Lindup, Edmund. The Bill of Rights and Landmark Cases. New York: F. Watts, 1989.
Meltzer, Milton. The Bill of Rights: How We Got It and What It Means. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Junior Books, 1990. This book uses court cases to show how the Bill of Rights has been interpreted.
Nardo, Don. The Bill of Rights: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. This book offers opposing, footnoted essays (by the author) supporting different interpretations of some rights. Examples include the question of whether free speech should be limited, whether due process should include all sections of the Bill of Rights, and whether the death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. This book includes an appendix with excerpts from primary sources such as the English Bill of Rights; the Virginia Bill of Rights, one of the Federalist Papers, a letter by Thomas Jefferson, the full text of the Bill of Rights, and more. It also has a useful annotated bibliography.
Internet Resources:
- Transcript of the Bill of Rights
- North Carolina’s Declaration of Rights
- National Archives and Records Administration: The Bill of Rights Exhibit
- The Library of Congress Web page includes links to exhibits, links to primary documents relevant to the Bill of Rights, internet links to other web pages on the Bill of Rights, and a selected bibliography of books for adults and for children.
- National Constitution Center has a webpage about the Constitution
- This very detailed web page from the Government Printing Office offers analysis and interpretation of the Constitution using annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court up until June 28, 2002.
- A link to landmark Supreme Court cases
