Steve Sheinkin's "The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights" recounts the explosion at a U.S. Navy base in the summer of 1944 that claimed 320 lives. It is also a story of African American resistance against prejudice, segregation, and injustice in the armed forces during World War II. The book was a 2015…

This article looks at three examples of children's and young adult literature that offer entertaining, accessible, and at times provocative, explorations of the rule of law in very different settings. Lewis Carroll's classic, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," finds Alice confronting a host of procedural irregularities and abuses of power within…

Although adolescent students often do not have knowledge of specific laws, they usually have a keen sense of justice and fairness. In this article, the author discusses the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a powerful tool to channel students' sense of fairness into visible actions. Adopted in December 1948 by the General Assembly of…

Argues that concern purely with consequences is an inadequate basis for an ethical theory. Suggests that claims based on rights or standards other than the promotion of the greatest happiness be used to guide decisions. Insists that conflict among rights in no way denies their existence or their essence in determinations of distributive justice.…

This article describes how using authentic artwork, such as that of Bernice Sims, as an instructional strategy can help young learners inquire about historical events. The accompanying lesson illustrates how to use Sims's works and life experiences to gain new perspectives and a greater understanding of the civil rights movement and social justice…

Answers criticism directed at utilitarianism. Argues that the philosophy evaluates choices by identifying the factors that should be considered in weighing the morality of an act. Suggests that the distributive principle of impartiality means everyone's pleasure should count equally. (DK)

This article presents some of those premises the author believes are significant to the study of law, coupled with some classroom strategies for elementary education designed to examine those premises. (Author/JR)

Reviews a series of films entitled "Equal Justice Under Law" and suggests how the films might be used in secondary and college classes. The major objective of the films is to help students understand the role of the early Court in establishing the American system of government. (Author/RM)

This article points out some of the imperfections of the judicial system in America and the need to understand better the nature of the system and what can be done to preserve and improve it. (Author/KM)

In 1942, less than four months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent United States entry into World War II , nearly 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry living along the west coast of the United States were ordered to evacuate their homes and sent to internment camps. The evacuees, separated from their extended families, former…

The purpose of this article is to indicate some of the more useful materials and training programs for teaching about the judicial process. (KM)

Describes a simulation exercise designed to help students understand the objections of U.S. colonists to the Stamp Act and other taxes. Includes a sample handout, instructions for the teacher in carrying out the simulation, and questions to compare students' and colonists' about feelings being assessed fees unfairly. (DK)

Discusses distributive justice in teaching social studies. Argues that utilitarianism is an inadequate basis for distributive justice because it does not allow for the primacy of civil or natural rights. Suggests addressing such issues in class to encourage student consideration of fundamental principles and their application to contemporary…

In this article, the author relates his experience of being attacked for teaching American history at a rural school in north Alabama using a critical, more inclusive approach to American history and social studies. He describes how he struggled with the notion of perspective in teaching primary documents, particularly papers written by those not…

Two case histories of the treatment of the Indians and Blacks in America illustrate the historic lack of concern, where profitable, for injustice under law. (Author/KM)