In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America`s Bill of Rights by Russell Freedman (3bks) #8, #9, #10

Freedman, Russell. (2003). In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America’s Bill of Rights. New York: Holiday House.

This book is 173 pages.

Grades: 5th and up

Curriculum Links: Social Studies

Author Credibility: Russell Freedman has written over three dozen nonfiction books. For this book, he researched information about the history of the Bill of Rights and how things have changed since the beginning.

Awards: 2004 Orbis Pictus Honor Book

Summary: This book discusses in much detail how the Bill of Rights was first formed. Each chapter of the book discusses each of the amendments and how they came to be. He also includes major Supreme Court cases that have challenged the liberties outlined in the Constitution. Throughout the book, he challenges the reader to think about where we would be now if we did not have the Bill of Rights.

Standards: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions; Power, Authority, and Governance; Civic Ideals and Practices

Illustrations: Black and white photographs from a variety of sources that document the information in the text and an archival print of the Bill of Rights in the back of the book.

Access Features: Table of contents, a page devoted to engaging questions about the Constitution, a page that list the Bill of Rights, index of Supreme Court Cases, and a bibliography

Classroom Use: This book could be used as students were learning about the history of the Constitution the Bill of Rights. It could also be used to discuss the landmark Supreme Court Cases that have played a major role in the United States.

Response: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a long book, but has a wealth of information about how the Constitution came to be and who the major players were in its development. I liked how Freedman devoted a chapter to each of the amendments. I also learned much about the cases that have been challenged in the Supreme Court and the decisions that were ultimately made. I really liked how Freedman provided up-to-date information about conflicts that are going on now.

Related Texts:
Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman

Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Russell Freedman