In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights

Russell Freedman is a well-known author of children's nonfiction, winning several awards with some of them. In Defense of Liberty is organized by a chapter devoted to each amendment. Freedman succeeds mostly in being objective. He shows both sides in controversies, generally. I never understood why the right to keep silent was so important, until Freedman discussed the history of forced confessions by torture. I was also fascinated by the discussion of official positions that have changed over the years. Includes a number of relevant black and white photographs, a list of court cases cited, and an annotated bibliography of books for children and adults. This book would be appropriate primarily for late elementary through junior high. A show more high schooler could handle a more detailed book, but may likely find this a readable starting point for research. For a Christian perspective, I'd probably want to discuss several portions of the book, where Freedman's text is sparse or needs clarification. show less

5-8 grade. excellent book to teach about the bill of rights. good information and seems to be fairly interesting although not as good as some of the other "orbis" books.

Describes the origins, applications of, and challenges to the ten amendments to the United States Constitution that comprise the Bill of Rights.

Lesson 15 - The Bill of Rights

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