The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court by Peter Irons, Peter Irons
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(Paperback - Reprint)
- Pub. Date: January 1990
- 448pp
- Sales Rank: 57,753
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: January 1990
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Format: Paperback, 448pp
- Sales Rank: 57,753
- ISBN-13: 9780140128109
- ISBN: 0140128107
- Edition Description: Reprint
Annotation
Peter Irons introduces 16 Americans who had the courage and perseverance to pursue a belief in their constitutional rights all the way to the Surpreme Court. Their cases, decided by the Surpreme Court between 1940 and 1986, raise four major issues of our time -- religion, race, protest, and privacy.
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Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Courtby Anonymous
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November 16, 2003: I found the book interesting reading. The details of 16 cases of individuals who stood up for their rights all the way to the Supreme Court could have been very dry reading, but each section has both a chapter relating the history of a case followed by a chapter describing the defendant's experience in his or her own words, which brought it to life. The stories in this book are a reminder of the important role the Supreme Court has taken in defending the individual freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, especially in times (like these) when fear and prejudice have swept the country and our democracy has deteriorated into mere majority rule - resulting in actions like racial segregation, internment camps for Japanese Americans, and inquisitions by the House Un-American Activities Committee. My favorite quote in the book was from the dissenting judge when a defendant lost his Supreme Court case against the HUAC. It's a comment that is chillingly relevant to what is happening today. In 1959, Justice Hugo Black said, 'Ultimately all the questions in this case really boil down to one - whether we as a people will try fearfully and futilely to preserve democracy through totalitarian methods, or whether in accordance with our traditions and our Constitution we will have the confidence and courage to be free.'
Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Courtby Anonymous
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September 03, 2002: I agree wholeheartedly that this book is VERY biased. However, in it's defense, it is titled "Sixteen Americans who FOUGHT their way to the Supreme Court" doesn't that imply a David and Goliath perspective of these historical cases? I liked how each case was split into two sections, a historical overview, and a more personal, narrative telling. I admit though, as I am a die hard camp counselor, whenever my kids wouldn't go to sleep at night, I would read them a case or two and they'd fall asleep immediately...
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