Everyman's Constitution : historical essays on the Fourteenth Amendment, the "conspiracy theory", and American constitutionalism /

"The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in the wake of the American Civil War to establish equal protection under the law for all American citizens regardless of race. Yet for over half a century, the amendment was used to endow corporations with rights as indiv...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Graham, Howard Jay
Other Authors: Levy, Leonard Williams, 1923-2006
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: [Madison, Wisconsin] : Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2013
Edition:Paperback edition
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Summary:"The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in the wake of the American Civil War to establish equal protection under the law for all American citizens regardless of race. Yet for over half a century, the amendment was used to endow corporations with rights as individuals and thus protect them from state legislation. In 1938, Howard Jay Graham, a deaf law librarian, successfully argued that the authors of the Fourteenth Amendment were motivated by abolitionist fervor, debunking the notion of a corporate conspiracy at the heart of the amendment's wording. By 1968, when Everyman's Constitution was first published, the Fourteenth Amendment had become a tool for the incorporation of the Bill of Rights to apply to all American citizens. These essays, written during the reversal of the amendment's fortunes, are still relevant as the nation continues to interpret our framing legislation in light of the concerns of today and to balance citizens' rights against those of corporations"--Unedited summary from book cover
Item Description:Originally published in 1968
Physical Description:xiv, 631 pages ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN:0870206346
9780870206344