The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution--known as the Bill of Rights--include the guarantee that no person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Yet this soaring vision of human rights was written by enslavers who deprived others of these rights. The struggle to resolve this paradox continues to the present day.

From Teri Kanefield comes the story of the Bill of Rights, from the founding of America to the first sedition laws, slavery, women's equality, the Civil War, Prohibition, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, the Civil Rights movement, gun control, and more.

Using real court cases, Kanefield explains the meaning of each of the first ten amendments. The result is the story of Americans who have tested the limits of their rights or demanded that their rights be recognized. With full-color illustrations and thought-provoking text, Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals explores how our rights evolve as the nation grows and changes.

Lies destroy. Disinformation tears at the fabric of democracy.

A Firehose of Falsehood: The Story of Disinformation breaks down disinformation tactics and offers tools for defending and restoring truth.

From Darius I of ancient Persia (522-486 BCE), to blood libel of the Middle Ages, to Soviet disinformation tactics and modern election deniers, Teri Kanefield and Pat Dorian show how tyrants and would-be tyrants deploy disinformation to gain power.

Democracy, which draws its authority from laws instead of the whim of a tyrant, requires truth. For a democracy to survive, its citizens must preserve and defend truth. Now that the Internet has turned what was once a trickle of lies into a firehose, the challenge of holding on to truth has never been greater. A Firehose of Falsehood offers readers these necessary tools.

Susan B. Anthony was born into a world in which men ruled women: A man could beat his wife, take her earnings, have her committed into an asylum based on his word, and take her children away from her. While the young nation was ablaze with the radical notion that people could govern themselves, people were understood to be white and male. Women were expected to stay out of public life and debates.

As Anthony saw the situation, Women's subsistence is in the hands of men, and most arbitrarily and unjustly does he exercise his consequent power. She began her public career as a radical abolitionist, and after the Civil War, she became an international figurehead of the women's suffrage movement. The book includes archival images as well as selections of Anthony's writing, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

The Making of America series:
Alexander Hamilton (#1)
Andrew Jackson (#2)
Abraham Lincoln (#3)
Susan B. Anthony (#4)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (#5)
Thurgood Marshall (#6)

The America that Alexander Hamilton knew was largely agricultural and built on slave labor. He envisioned something else: a multi-racial, urbanized, capitalistic America with a strong central government. He believed that such an America would be a land of opportunity for the poor and the newcomers. But Hamilton's vision put him at odds with his archrivals who envisioned a pastoral America of small towns, where governments were local, states would control their own destiny, and the federal government would remain small and weak.

The disputes that arose during America's first decades continued through American history to our present day. Over time, because of the systems Hamilton set up and the ideas he left, his vision won out. Here is the story that epitomizes the American dream--a poor immigrant who made good in America. In the end, Hamilton rose from poverty through his intelligence and ability, and did more to shape our country than any of his contemporaries.

Related subjects and concepts discussed in the book include:

Law and Legal Concepts
Due Process
Bill of Rights
Freedom of Speech and the Press
Originalism / Nonoriginalism (theories of constitutional interpretation)

Government
Checks and Balances
Democracy
Electoral College
Republic

Financial Concepts
Capitalism
Credit
Inflation
Interest
Mercantilism
Securities: Stocks and Bonds
Tariffs
Taxes

Miscellaneous
Demagogues
Dueling
Pastoralism

Includes archival images

About the Series
The Making of America series traces the constitutional history of the United States through overlapping biographies of American men and women. The debates that raged when our nation was founded have been argued ever since: How should the Constitution be interpreted? What is the meaning, and where are the limits of personal liberty? What is the proper role of the federal government? Who should be included in we the people? Each biography in the series tells the story of an American leader who helped shape the United States of today.

The Making of America Series
Alexander Hamilton (#1)
Andrew Jackson (#2)
Abraham Lincoln (#3)
Susan B. Anthony (#4)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (#5)
Thurgood Marshall (#6)

This biography for young readers explores the life of the controversial seventh U.S. president, as well as his successes, failures, and legacy.

Born in the Carolina backwoods, Andrew Jackson joined the American Revolutionary War at the age of thirteen. After a reckless youth of gunfights, gambling, and general mischief, he rose to national fame as the general who defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans.

Jackson ran for president as a political outsider, championing the interest of common farmers and frontiersmen. Determined to take down the wealthy, well-educated East Coast elites, he pledged to destroy the national bank--which he believed was an engine of corruption serving the interest of bankers and industrialists. A staunch nationalist, he sought to secure and expand the nation's borders.

Believing that we the people included white men only, he protected the practice of slavery, and opened new lands for white settlers by pushing the Native people westward. Jackson, a polarizing figure in his era, ignited a populist movement that remains a powerful force in our national politics. The book includes selections of Jackson's writings, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

A concise profile that successfully reveals Jackson's personal complexities and contradictions and his controversial legacy as a public figure. --Kirkus Reviews

The fifth book in the Making of America series, Franklin D. Roosevelt examines the life of America's 32nd president: his birth into one of America's elite families, his domineering mother, his marriage to Eleanor Roosevelt, his struggle with polio, and his political career.

A Democrat, Roosevelt (1882-1945) won a record of four presidential elections and is the longest-serving US president. During his time in office, he led the country through the Great Depression and World War II and helped to redefine the role of the US government with the New Deal. Scholars often rate him as one of the three greatest presidents, along with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The book includes black-and-white archival images, plus selections from FDR's writings in addition to endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

The Making of America series:
Alexander Hamilton (#1)
Andrew Jackson (#2)
Abraham Lincoln (#3)
Susan B. Anthony (#4)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (#5)
Thurgood Marshall (#6)

The third installment of the Making of America series, Abraham Lincoln follows one of our most popular presidents. Even though he grew up on the frontier without a formal education, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) worked his way up in the government. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, then to the US House of Representatives, and then he became the 16th president of the United States. During his presidency, he led the United States through the Civil War, brought about the emancipation of the enslaved, and strengthened the federal government.

Unlike other biographical works, the Making of America series goes beyond individual narratives and links influential figures to create an overarching story of America's growth. The books can be read on their own and are also a way to entice young readers to study American history. The book includes archival images, plus selections from Lincoln's writings, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

The Making of America series:
Alexander Hamilton (#1)
Andrew Jackson (#2)
Abraham Lincoln (#3)
Susan B. Anthony (#4)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (#5)
Thurgood Marshall (#6)

This biography for young readers examines the life of a brilliant lawyer who successfully argued the case that ended legal racial segregation in America.

Thurgood Marshall, the great grandson of a slave, was born at a time when African Americans were denied equal rights in America. Segregation was legal. Lynching was common. In some places, African Americans were entirely excluded from public life; they were forbidden to enter public parks and museums or use public swimming pools and restrooms.

After being denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School because of his race, Marshall enrolled at Howard University. He graduated first in his class and set out as a young lawyer determined to achieve equality for all Americans. Here is the story of how he did it--how he devised his legal strategy for expanding we the people to include all people.

Thurgood Marshall explores the life of the brilliant lawyer who successfully argued the case that ended legal racial segregation in America, following his childhood in Baltimore to his trailblazing career as a civil rights lawyer, and finally his years as a United States Supreme Court justice.

This book includes a timeline, excerpts of Marshall's writings, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

Provides a well-rounded look not only at the life of Marshall, but at the events in the world that shaped him into the man he was, and how he in turn helped shape the world for future generations. --School Library Connection

Susan B. Anthony was born into a world in which men ruled women: A man could beat his wife, take her earnings, have her committed into an asylum based on his word, and take her children away from her. While the young nation was ablaze with the radical notion that people could govern themselves, people were understood to be white and male. Women were expected to stay out of public life and debates.

As Anthony saw the situation, Women's subsistence is in the hands of men, and most arbitrarily and unjustly does he exercise his consequent power. She began her public career as a radical abolitionist, and after the Civil War, she became an international figurehead of the women's suffrage movement. The book includes archival images as well as selections of Anthony's writing, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

The Making of America series:
Alexander Hamilton (#1)
Andrew Jackson (#2)
Abraham Lincoln (#3)
Susan B. Anthony (#4)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (#5)
Thurgood Marshall (#6)

The fifth book in the Making of America series, Franklin D. Roosevelt examines the life of America's 32nd president: his birth into one of America's elite families, his domineering mother, his marriage to Eleanor Roosevelt, his struggle with polio, and his political career.

A Democrat, Roosevelt (1882-1945) won a record of four presidential elections and is the longest-serving US president. During his time in office, he led the country through the Great Depression and World War II and helped to redefine the role of the US government with the New Deal. Scholars often rate him as one of the three greatest presidents, along with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The book includes black-and-white archival images, plus selections from FDR's writings in addition to endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

The Making of America series:
Alexander Hamilton (#1)
Andrew Jackson (#2)
Abraham Lincoln (#3)
Susan B. Anthony (#4)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (#5)
Thurgood Marshall (#6)

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

Kanefield not only allows readers to understand how notions of right and wrong change over time and across cultures, helping them begin to understand the complexities of crime and punishment, but she will probably leave them eager to find out more. --Horn Book Magazine

This short book is dense with examples and ideas and makes a complicated, somewhat daunting subject more accessible and interesting to a younger audience. --Booklist

An easy and informative read, gives basic information about the criminal justice system. --VOYA

This book takes a look at the evolution of the American justice system. Kanefield scrutinizes the judicial system by examining current and past crimes. --School Library Journal

By following the law school model and exploring actual cases, readers are able to ponder abstract ideas via concrete examples. --Kirkus Reviews

An extraordinary book...that could well be mind-blowing to the thoughtful young reader who is ready to move beyond the black-and-white notion that a particular act is wrong simply because it is illegal. --Richie Partington, Book Blogger

An informative, simply written account of the impressive arc of Ginsburg's life.
--Publisher's Weekly

Before taking her place as the second woman on the Supreme Court of the United States, Ruth Bader Ginsburg quietly led a revolution and forever changed life in America for both men and women. Reserved and quiet, she didn't set out to be a trailblazer, but there was something in her way: the law. Hundreds of years of legal precedent, a line of devastating Supreme Court cases, and countless statutes depriving women of equal citizenship and keeping them from full participation in the legal and political process.

Mixing social and legal history with a moving and intimate biography, award-winning author Teri Kanefield captures a turbulent era and tells the story of how Ruth Bader Ginsburg defied expectations to become one of the most influential and powerful women in America.

We hear many voices in this wonderfully engaging biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and come away with a far richer understanding of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and of what the rise of feminism has meant for all of us, whatever our gender, whatever our politics.
--Kathleen Vanden Heuvel, Law Library Director, Adjunct Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law

An absorbing personal biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that is also equal parts legal history and political philosophy. Like Ginsburg herself, Kanefield's narrative is precise, candid, logical, yet filled with humor and irony. She shows the reader the warmth and humility behind a serious legal mind. Free to Be Ruth Bader Ginsburg will appeal to a wide range of readers and is a valuable addition to all types of libraries.
--Suzy Szasz Palmer, Past President, Virginia Library Association

An engrossing biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that doubles as a primer on how America's champions for gender equality pressed their cause in the courts. Recommended for every law student, lawyer, and lay reader looking for an authoritative yet readable treatment of how the law shapes women's lives, and vice-versa.
--Kathleen Morris, Associate Professor of Law, Golden Gate Law School

Free to Be is a richly detailed biography offering fascinating insights into the groundbreaking career of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and at the same time charting for readers a thorough and engaging history of the law of sex discrimination and equal protection jurisprudence that she helped to shape. Kanefield's book is a must read, not only for fans of RBG but for anyone interested in a more complete understanding of the evolution of women's rights and legal status in the U.S.
--Sharmilla Lodhia, Associate Professor, Women's and Gender Studies, Santa Clara University

Free to Be is a must read for those who love history, want to know more about the women's rights movement, or have an interest in modern politics and culture. I highly recommend it
--Kristi Jensen, Librarian, University of Minnesota

An informative, simply written account of the impressive arc of Ginsburg's life.
--Publisher's Weekly

Before taking her place as the second woman on the Supreme Court of the United States, Ruth Bader Ginsburg quietly led a revolution and forever changed life in America for both men and women. Reserved and quiet, she didn't set out to be a trailblazer, but there was something in her way: the law. Hundreds of years of legal precedent, a line of devastating Supreme Court cases, and countless statutes depriving women of equal citizenship and keeping them from full participation in the legal and political process.

Mixing social and legal history with a moving and intimate biography, award-winning author Teri Kanefield captures a turbulent era and tells the story of how Ruth Bader Ginsburg defied expectations to become one of the most influential and powerful women in America.

We hear many voices in this wonderfully engaging biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and come away with a far richer understanding of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and of what the rise of feminism has meant for all of us, whatever our gender, whatever our politics.
--Kathleen Vanden Heuvel, Law Library Director, Adjunct Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law

An absorbing personal biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that is also equal parts legal history and political philosophy. Like Ginsburg herself, Kanefield's narrative is precise, candid, logical, yet filled with humor and irony. She shows the reader the warmth and humility behind a serious legal mind. Free to Be Ruth Bader Ginsburg will appeal to a wide range of readers and is a valuable addition to all types of libraries.
--Suzy Szasz Palmer, Past President, Virginia Library Association

An engrossing biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that doubles as a primer on how America's champions for gender equality pressed their cause in the courts. Recommended for every law student, lawyer, and lay reader looking for an authoritative yet readable treatment of how the law shapes women's lives, and vice-versa.
--Kathleen Morris, Associate Professor of Law, Golden Gate Law School

Free to Be is a richly detailed biography offering fascinating insights into the groundbreaking career of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and at the same time charting for readers a thorough and engaging history of the law of sex discrimination and equal protection jurisprudence that she helped to shape. Kanefield's book is a must read, not only for fans of RBG but for anyone interested in a more complete understanding of the evolution of women's rights and legal status in the U.S.
--Sharmilla Lodhia, Associate Professor, Women's and Gender Studies, Santa Clara University

Free to Be is a must read for those who love history, want to know more about the women's rights movement, or have an interest in modern politics and culture. I highly recommend it
--Kristi Jensen, Librarian, University of Minnesota

Includes a bonus story: The Mystery of Sound. The Mystery of Sound was originally published in Cricket Magazine and reprinted an anthology published by Rubicon Publishing House.