John J. Dinan is professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University. He Is the author of four books on American politics, most recently State Constitutional Politics: Governing by Amendment in the American States. This was his first book.
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"A valuable dissertation on what civil liberties measures were being advanced at the state level during both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries."--Political Science Quarterly "A strikingly original and persuasive reinterpretation of how rights have been safeguarded in the United States."--American Political Science Review "A calmly balanced and brilliantly incisive analysis which shows that state legislatures have performed as well as, and sometimes better than, federal and state courts in expanding and defending rights. Beyond those interested in the history of rights, courts as institutions, and constitutional law, this book will be profitable for those interested in state politics, American political theory, and democratic theory. Impressive and convincing."--Donald S. Lutz, author of A Preface to American Political Theory "We have grown accustomed to thinking that judicial review and judges are uniquely suited to protecting the people's rights and liberties. John Dinan's important study demonstrates that this way of thinking, however familiar, substantially oversimplifies the lessons of the complex American experience."--Michael J. Perry, author of The Constitution in the Courts: Law or Politics? "This is a wonderful, eye-opening, and very important book. It sets our modern debate about the 'rights explosion' in a new and useful perspective. I have studied and written about constitutional law for twenty years, and I have to say reading this was a revelation for me. It filled in the background that is missing in contemporary constitutional theory."--Robert Nagel, author of Judicial Power and American Character