Origins of the Bill of Rights
By: Leonard W. Levy
Series: Contemporary law series
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New Haven, CT
Language: eng
Number of pages: 306
ISBN-13: 9780300078022; 9780300089011
Subjects: Constitutional history; United States; Histoire; Constitution; Civil rights; Grondrechten; Histoire constitutionnelle; Droits de l'homme; Constitutional amendments; History; Amendements (01er-10e); Bill of Rights (Verenigde Staten)
Description: In this history of the origins of the Bill of Rights, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Leonard W. Levy offers a panoramic view of the liberties secured by the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Levy illuminates the behind-the-scenes maneuverings, public rhetoric, and political motivations of James Madison and others who overcame fierce opposition to ensure the ratification of these crucial liberties.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-298) and index.
Table of contents: title: Preface; title: Chronology; title: Why we have the Bill of Rights; title: Habeus corpus; title: Bills of attainder; title: The First Amendment: the Establishment Clause; title: The First Amendment: the Free Press Clause; title: The right to keep and bear arms; title: The Fourth Amendment: search and seizure; title: The Fifth Amendment: the right against self-incrimination; title: Double jeopardy; title: The double jury system: grand and petty; title: The Eighth Amendment; title: The Eighth Amendment: unenumerated rights; title: Appendix: key documents.