Suchergebnisse

The book is a collection of essays designed to take the reader on a journey through American law and the American political and legal tradition. Their common ground is to trace the influence of the idea of human dignity on the American system of civil rights protection and to characterize more than two centuries of struggle against discrimination against various groups and minorities. Beginning with the views of the Founding Fathers and the creation of the first modern republic, through the struggles against slavery and gender discrimination, to the 20th century challenges of abortion, euthanasia, and the legalization of same-sex marriage. Although human dignity does not appear in the Constitution or in constitutional amendments, the influence of this idea on the legal order has been, is, and will continue to be considerable. Indeed, along with liberty, equality, and justice, it is one of the core values that underlie the political, legal, and judicial system of the United States of America. The reader will find in the book both reflections on political and legal thought, as well as a number of judgments of the Supreme Court of the United States, which established the most important legal principles expanding the sphere of individual freedoms and protecting civil rights. The reader will also find key figures in American history, such as revolutionary columnist Thomas Paine, Supreme Court Justice James Wilson, suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass.