Equal Protection - (America's Freedoms) by Francis Graham Lee (Hardcover)

About the Book

An introductory survey of the government's role in America's continuing drive for equality.
Today's lingering inequalities, particularly the "American dilemma" of racism, runs throughout U.S. history. Equal Protection provides readers with a historical overview of the controversies over the issue of equality, an understanding of how government-and, particularly, the courts and Congress-has reacted to these controversies, and the role these issues have played in shaping U.S. society.

This volume follows the push for equal treatment regardless of age, gender, disabilities, economic status, or sexual orientation. It focuses on legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, and political initiatives and movements such as The Great Society, the ERA, and the War on Poverty. Here are American's interpretations of equal rights, then and now.

• Includes a section of A-Z entries covering people, laws, events, judicial decisions, statutes, and concepts related to equal protection in the United States
• Primary source documents include court decisions, executive orders, and legislation that shaped the status of equal protection in our society today

Book Synopsis

An introductory survey of the government's role in America's continuing drive for equality.

Today's lingering inequalities, particularly the "American dilemma" of racism, runs throughout U.S. history. Equal Protection provides readers with a historical overview of the controversies over the issue of equality, an understanding of how government-and, particularly, the courts and Congress-has reacted to these controversies, and the role these issues have played in shaping U.S. society.

This volume follows the push for equal treatment regardless of age, gender, disabilities, economic status, or sexual orientation. It focuses on legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, and political initiatives and movements such as The Great Society, the ERA, and the War on Poverty. Here are American's interpretations of equal rights, then and now.

Review Quotes

"The America's Freedoms Series offers a comprehensive approach to explaining the U.S. Constitution by examining the history and evolution of the liberties protected by the supreme law of the land, as well as by presenting edited documents, especially landmark cases, that have interpreted what the Constitution says . . . is as appropriate for the reference shelf as it is for the classroom . . . Equal Protection is recommended for high school, undergraduate, and public libraries." --American Reference Books Annual

About the Author

Francis Graham Lee is professor of political science at Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA.