Review of the American Heritage History of the Bill of Rights

Howard A. Lurie

Once again, the rush of recent events has reminded us that the future of social studies education depends upon our success at helping students make sense of the world around them.  The increasing tumult over abortion, police brutality, and free expression in the arts will invariable serve as natural departure points for a detailed assessment of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  The ten volume series The American Heritage History of the Bill of Rights can serve as a valuable tool for both the middle and high school social studies teacher wishing to provide his or her students with access to a comprehensive and readable analysis of the history and contemporary relevance of the Bill of Rights.

The format for each volume in this series provides an excellent set of reference materials for students in history or civics classes.  Each of the ten books is devoted to a single amendment within the Bill of Rights, and includes a brief introduction by former Chief Justice Warren Burger, a superb time chart covering the entire Bill of Rights, a list of dates specific to the featured amendment, a glossary, and an index of relevant cases.  Additionally, each volume includes a well written forward by Philip Klinker, suggestions for further reading, and even a list of sources used within the volume.  Depending upon the amendment, each volume includes between eight and thirteen short chapters focusing upon the historical development and contemporary applications of the featured amendment.  The tenth volume also includes a series and case index for the entire Bill of Rights.  Given these ample resources, students would be able to uncover a wide range of information pertaining to either a specific amendment, or the Bill of Rights as a whole.  The text of these volumes is highly readable and would be suitable for middle school students, or high school students who do not speak English as a first language.

Despite the significant advantages of this series, there are a number of factors which could limit its usefulness.  Middle and high school students have become, above all else, visual learners; even my most accomplished readers are also keenly critical of visual aids included in texts and reference works.  Unfortunately, this series appears to rely upon a fairly traditional selection of photos and illustrations.  There are virtually no charts, graphs, or other visual organizers, all of which could be very helpful in clarifying complex ideas.

A second concern about this series stems from its overall design.  Eight different writers have combined their efforts to cover all ten amendments.  As a result, there is a wide spectrum of writing styles within the series.  Although each author has included historical and contemporary themes, there is considerable contrast among the various contributors.  For instance, Jan Hawxhurst, the author of the volume on the Second Amendment, includes almost twelve pages of detailed historical background before even beginning to analyze Colonial America.  Although she effectively traces the roots of the Second Amendment, many middle and high school readers would find this section far too removed from their more immediate concerns about handguns and automatic weapons.  In contrast, the author of the volume for the Fourth Amendment, Paula Franklin, relies upon an anecdotal approach to the issues of search and seizure, and includes stories about high interest individuals such as James Otis, “Clubber” Williams, and Roy “Whispering Wires” Olmstead.  Whereas some authors rely upon detailed chronologies about specific amendments, others choose to include liberal doses of case studies and primary source documents to provide vital connections to the social history of the amendments.

Although there are some aspects of this series that teachers should be cautious of, this collection would be a timely addition to any classroom and or library.  It places the Bill of Rights in an appropriate historical context, and would provide students with ample information for individual research, oral presentations, and even cooperative studies.  Given access to this vital reference tool, students should be able to develop a fuller appreciation for the protections and rights provided by the Bill of Rights.