Eleanor Roosevelt's support of African American rights was one of the highlights of her activities as first lady. Her fearless advocacy for justice pulled her into political controversies that were unprecedented for the wife of a president. The first lady's initiatives in support of the rights of African Americans offer students an excellent…

Discusses how social class origins of age-eligible men have affected their likelihood of being drafted into military service since the Civil War. Holds that class bias in any future system must be considered a major social cost accompanying the revival of conscription. (Author/GC)

The Northwest Ordinance is noteworthy not only for its provision of stages of development and eventual admission of new states into the Union but also for provisions which protected civil liberties of the inhabitants. In the latter part of the ordinance there are six articles of "compact" that declare fundamental principles of liberty.…

Discusses the history of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Describes the evolution of constitutional rights in the United States. Explains how the Constitution, particularly the First and Fourth Amendments, has been applied to juveniles. Identifies some of the leading cases involving juvenile rights. (SG)

Introduces the special issue and discusses the historical failure of American government to redress the injustices suffered by African Americans and the role of scholars in creating and perpetuating racist stereotypes. Emphasizes the need to address issues of Black health and crime. (FMW)

Presented is the history of the Scottsboro case, in which eight Black men were found guilty and sentenced to death for raping two White women in Alabama. At the heart of the Scottsboro trials was the issue of whether the U.S. Constitution established standards of justice in state criminal trials. (RM)

The contributions that George Washington and James Madison made to the creation of the United States Constitution are discussed. As host of the Mount Vernon Conference and president of the Philadelphia Convention, Washington brought to the growing movement for a new constitution great dignity and political stature. Washington's stamp of approval…

The movement to gain civil rights for Black people was largely carried out by women, such as Ella Baker. She was a consumer advocate and an executive in major civil rights organizations. She did not seek public attention but deserves acknowledgement for her contributions. (VM)

Outlines the history of juvenile justice from the Bible to the present time. At present neither offending children nor society are getting a fair return. The result is a tendency to treat young criminals exactly as adult criminals, and to limit the range of behaviors subject to court jurisdiction. (Author/CK)

Distinguishes between civil rights, which pertain to legal protections, and human rights, which deal with basic rights as a human being. Discusses the worldwide quest for freedom, justice, and equality; and reviews the development of the civil rights movement in the United States since 1955. (FMW)

The history and conditions of the use of English and French in the exercise of justice in Quebec are outlined in the context of the problems, sociopolitical realities, and procedural impact of language usage. The history is chronicled in six segments: 1760-1764, a period of British military government and political standoff between British and…

This book recounts the historical achievements of the National PTA and its sister organization, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers. The PTA is the result of the hard work of such women as Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alice McLellan Birney, founders of the original National Congress of Mothers, and Selma Sloan Butler, who, with the…

Proposes that the formalization of common schooling in the United States derives from the sequence of institutional formation beginning with the state asylum, moving to the reformatory, and then moving to compulsory attendance. Shows the integration of delinquent and special youth in the U.S. educational system. Contains 112 references. (SLD)

The Brown decision is discussed as an example of the historical tendency for brief periods of civil rights progress to be followed by longer periods of increased racial discrimination. (BE)

This annotated bibliography lists approximately 300 documents and source materials directly or indirectly related to the problem of access to justice in rural Alaska. Written materials about the state's history, geography, economics, and culture have often touched upon the justice system and its role in the development of the state. Other works…