The American Language of Rights (Ideas in Context Series)
Richard A. Primus examines three crucial periods in American history the late eighteenth century, the civil war and the 1950s and 1960s in order to demonstrate how the conceptions of rights prevailing at each of these times grew out of reactions to contemporary social and political crises. His innovative approach sees rights language as grounded more in opposition to concrete social and political practices than in the universalistic paradigms presented by many political philosophers. This...
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A study of the importance of the language of rights during three crucial periods in American history.
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction11Rights theory and rights practice102History and the development of rights453Rights of the Founding784Rights and Reconstruction: syntheses and shell games1275Rights after World War II177Conclusion: rights and reasons234Bibliography248Index261
\ From the Publisher"This book is a major contribution to contemporary political theory, of interest to scholars and students in politics and government, constitutional law, and American history." Yale Law Report\ "This book examines three periods in American history - the late eighteenth century, the Civil War, and the 1950s and 1960s - to demonstrate how the conceptions of rights prevailing during these times grew from reactions to social and political crises. Conceptualizing rights langage as grounded in opposition to concrete social and political practices, Primus explores the potency of rights language throughout American history and the impact of modern totalitarianism on American conceptions of rights." Law and Social Inquiry\ \ \
