The Bill of Rights comes alive to young readers in this book; every amendment is cast in a modern light, giving students real issues to consider and evaluate.  Can a rap group be prosecuted for using obscene lyrics?  Do schools need warrants to search students?  Does the Bill of Rights guarantee personal privacy?  These questions and many more make the Bill of Rights seem more relevant and important to the lives of modern students.

 

Freedman not only approaches the Bill of Rights with historical accuracy and details, he approaches it with an eye for making it relevant to modern students.  In this book he gives them reasons for studying the Bill of Rights and understanding its value and purpose in their lives. 

 

Each Amendment in the Bill of Rights is introduced with a modern story or question.  For example, the Third Amendment, the Right to Bear Arms, is introduced with the following fact: "In America today, one person dies by gunshot every eighteen or nineteen minutes, twenty-four hours a day."  The modern day cases involving the Bill of Rights bring students into history, showing modern accounts of why these protections are necessary and the conflicts that arise around them today.  Freedman then takes the reader back through history, giving an account of why the Amendment came about, how often it has been challenged and in what ways it has been challenged.  Each Amendment to the Bill of Rights involves intricacies and complexities that must be considered.   The Bill of Rights is not an easy list to maintain; it takes courage, freedom, and commitment.  Readers will also find, through Freedman's friendly and readable text, that American's continue to fight, even today, for these rights.

 

The book is divided into fourteen chapters, including a chapter on each of the ten amendments and a chapter on the Fourteenth Amendment and equal protection laws.  Historical photographs and illustrations and newspaper photos and excerpts contribute to the text and expand the story Freedman is telling.  An index of Supreme Court Cases is also included, as are tips on researching more about the Supreme Court Cases, including a list of valuable websites.  An index to the book is also included, a helpful resource to any student.