To Establish Justice: Citizenship and the Constitution

by Patricia C. McKissack, Arlene Zarembka

AMERICA WAS FOUNDED on the idea of liberty for all. But it has not always achieved that ideal. To Establish Justice is an honest and powerful examination of the Supreme Court’s role in legalizing—or negating—civil rights for various groups. From the struggles of Native Americans at the country’s birth to the African American civil rights movement of the 1960s, from the vote for women to the internment of the Japanese during World War II, To Establish Justice shows how the Supreme Court has paved the way for both justice and discrimination, and how this important arm of our government has impacted all of our lives.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2004

About the author

Patricia C. McKissack was the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of The Dark-Thirty and Porch Lies an ALA Notable Book. She collaborated with Jerry Pinkney on Goin' Someplace Special (Coretta Scott King Award winner) and Mirandy and Brother Wind (Coretta Scott King Award winner and Caldecott Honor Book).

Reviews

[CTEP]

"To Establish Justice" is a book by author/attorney power duo, Patricia McKissack and Arlene Zarembka. The book is a look into the history of the Supreme Court's rulings on civil rights issues- those that were positive and those that were negative. The book is a timeline that goes through slavery, WWII Internment Camps, the 60's civil rights movement, and gay/lesbian rights.

Reading about how our highest arbiters of "justice" in this country have long upheld pretty obviously unjust systems is disheartening. From early slave rulings to integrating schools, it is never an easy no-brainer to give all people equal rights. Someone or another is always being treated as second-class. It is good to know however, that progress does happen. People come to their senses. We live in a time where most blatant civil-rights issues are gone. Racism still exists, for sure, but we have come a long way.

I reflected on how the injustices and inequality of past rights has affected so many of those we serve in CTEP. Many people who lead less fortunate lives, especially people of color, are still dealing with the lingering effects of inequality. Many African-Americans are still living in impoverished neighborhoods, a remnant of displacement caused by the building of I-94. In CTEP we are dealing with issues of inequality, not the same type of inequality, but inequality that can be traced a long way back.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good framework for studying the Constitution, its promises, and America's successes and failures protecting its citizens.