Bill of Rights in Modern America

David J. Bodenhamer is Professor of History and Informatics and Executive Director of the Polis Center at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Among his most recent books on American constitutional history are The Revolutionary Constitution and The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction.James W. Ely Jr. is Milton R. Underwood Professor of Law and Professor of History Emeritus at Vanderbilt University. He is author or editor of numerous works in constitutional and legal history, including The Guardian of Every Other Right: A Constitutional History of Property Rights, 3rd ed., and The Contract Clause: A Constitutional History.

As the 2020s began, protestors filled the streets, politicians clashed over how to respond to a global pandemic, and new scrutiny was placed on what rights US citizens should be afforded.Newly revised and expanded to address immigration, gay rights, privacy rights, affirmative action, and more, The Bill of Rights in Modern America provides clear insights into the issues currently shaping the United States. Essays explore the law and history behind contentious debates over such topics as gun rights, limits on the powers of law enforcement, the death penalty, abortion, and states' rights.Accessible and easy to read, the discerning research offered in The Bill of Rights in Modern America will help inform critical discussions for years to come.

IntroductionPart I: The Nature of Rights1. Rights Consciousness in American History, by Daniel T. RodgersPart II: Modern Rights in Controversy2. The First Amendment and the Freedom to Differ, by Suzanna Sherry3. Church and State: The Religion Clauses, by Melvin I. Urofsky4. Public Safety and the Right to Bear Arms, by Robert J. Cottrol and Raymond T. Diamond5. The Enigmatic Place of Property Rights in Modern Constitutional Thought, by James W. Ely, Jr.6. Equal Protection and Affirmative Action, by Paul MorenoPart III: Individual Rights and Public Safety7. Reversing the Revolution: Rights of the Accused in a Conservative Age, by David J. Bodenhamer8. Police Practices and the Bill of Rights, by Laurence A. Benner and Michal R. BelknapPart IV: Emerging Rights9. Privacy Rights in Modern America, by Adam D. Moore10. The Rights of Non-Citizens, by Kunal M. Parker11. The Coming Out of American Law, by Marie-Amélie GeorgePart V: State Constitutional Rights12. Second Wind for State Bills of Rights, by Randall T. ShepardSuggestions for Further ReadingIndex