Which 462 words are so important that they've changed the course of American history more than once? The Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the crucial document that spells out how the United States is to be governed. Packed with anecdotes, sidebars, case studies, suggestions for further reading, and humorous illustrations, Kathleen Krull's introduction to the Bill of Rights brings an important topic vividly to life. Whether you're a middle grader or high schooler or even an adult, and whether you're looking to expand your knowledge or to reearch a report, the format of this "kids' guide" makes the information understandable and interesting. Find out what the Bill of Rights is and how it affects your daily life in this fascinating look at the history, significance, and mysteries of these laws that are designed to protect the individual freedoms of Americans—including young people. Some of the questions addressed in this easy-to-follow book: Why did early American founders argue that individuals needed a Bill of Rights to protect them from government? Why is freedom of speech so thrilling and so controversial? What is religious intolerance, and when can it be fatal? What does it really mean to take the Fifth? How does the Bill of Rights affect the rights of kids?

Which 462 words are so important that they've changed American history more than once? The Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the crucial document that spells out how the United States is to be governed. Find out what the Bill of Rights is and how it affects your daily life in this fascinating look at the history, significance, and mysteries of these laws that protect the individual freedoms of everyone -- even young people. Why did early American founders (like James Madison, Congressman from Virginia) argue that individuals needed a Bill of Rights to protect them from government? Why is freedom of speech so thrilling and so controversial? What is religious intolerance, and when can it be fatal? What does it really mean to take the Fifth? And how does the Bill of Rights affect the rights of kids? Packed with anecdotes and sidebars, case studies, and humorous illustrations, innovative author Kathleen Krull's introduction to the Bill of Rights brings a little understood topic vividly to life.

Which 462 words are so important that they've changed the course of American history more than once? The Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the crucial document that spells out how the United States is to be governed.

“Narrative, celebratory history at its purest” (Publishers Weekly)—the real story of how the Bill of Rights came to be: a vivid account of political strategy, big egos, and the partisan interests that set the terms of the ongoing contest between the federal government and the states. Those who argue that the Bill of Rights reflects the founding fathers’ “original intent” are wrong. The Bill of Rights was actually a brilliant political act executed by James Madison to preserve the Constitution, the federal government, and the latter’s authority over the states. In the skilled hands of award-winning historian Carol Berkin, the story of the founders’ fight over the Bill of Rights comes alive in a drama full of partisanship, clashing egos, and cunning manipulation. In 1789, the nation faced a great divide around a question still unanswered today: should broad power and authority reside in the federal government or should it reside in state governments? The Bill of Rights, from protecting religious freedom to the people’s right to bear arms, was a political ploy first and a matter of principle second. The truth of how and why Madison came to devise this plan, the debates it caused in the Congress, and its ultimate success is more engrossing than any of the myths that shroud our national beginnings. The debate over the Bill of Rights still continues through many Supreme Court decisions. By pulling back the curtain on the short-sighted and self-interested intentions of the founding fathers, Berkin reveals the anxiety many felt that the new federal government might not survive—and shows that the true “original intent” of the Bill of Rights was simply to oppose the Antifederalists who hoped to diminish the government’s powers. This book is “a highly readable American history lesson that provides a deeper understanding of the Bill of Rights, the fears that generated it, and the miracle of the amendments” (Kirkus Reviews).

Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award-winner Kathleen Krull is an expert at bringing history to life in her engaging titles and series, including Women Who Broke the Rules, Lives of . . . , Giants of Science, and A Kid’s Guide to America’s Bill of Rights. This time, she introduces readers to the women of the White House in A Kid’s Guide to America’s First Ladies! The book includes a section introducing kids to Melania Trump. Find out what our country’s First Ladies thought, did, and advocated for as they moved into the White House. Why did the Patriots love Martha Washington? What causes did Eleanor Roosevelt support and lead? What did Jacqueline Kennedy do to establish her legacy long after she left the White House? How did Hillary Clinton turn her role as First Lady into a political career of her own? Packed with anecdotes and sidebars, a timeline of the advancement of women’s rights, and humorous illustrations and portraits, Kathleen Krull’s introduction to the First Ladies of the United States brings vividly to life the women to hold the role as they paved the way for American women in times of change.

Packed with anecdotes, sidebars, quotes, and illustrations, A Kids' Guide to the American Revolution brings vividly to life the birth of our nation. Introduce young readers to the stakes, challenges, setbacks, and victories involved in the single most important event in our nation’s history, the American Revolution, with this approachable book from Kathleen Krull, a Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award winner. Find out what events led our young nation to go to war with Great Britain and how the Declaration of Independence, the document that continues to shape our civil rights, came to be. • Why did the colonists want independence from Great Britain? • What brought on the Boston Tea Party? • How did the Declaration of Independence initially impact women and slaves? • What did Benjamin Franklin do to convince the French to join the revolution? • How was George Washington chosen to lead the new young country? • What elements of the Declaration of Independence continue to be debated today? Kathleen Krull is an expert at bringing history to life in her engaging titles and series, including Women Who Broke the Rules, Lives of . . . , Giants of Science, and her other books in A Kids’ Guide series, A Kids' Guide to America’s Bill of Rights and A Kids’ Guide to America’s First Ladies.

The rights of every person, every man, woman, and child, are inalienable; though they are written as the law of the land, our rights transcend all of humanity's laws. They are tantamount to each individual living their most fulfilled life. The rights that we possess are not uniquely American, but rather natural rights that are possessed by all people. What is uniquely American is the explicit nature with which these rights must be acknowledged at all levels of government. As such, it is the responsibility of all Americans to exercise their rights daily, which means that the Bill of Rights must be a recurring study and part of regular discussion. Learning our rights at a young age is an important step in growing to be a conscious citizen; one that will not only defend their own liberties, but those of their neighbors, friends, community, and strangers around the world. I Know My Rights: A Children's Guide to the Bill of Rights and Individual Liberty presents the original text of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, coupled with an accessible and detailed explanation for each law, based in recent case law and scholarly interpretation. This book will provide a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights, as well as a foundation upon which each child can learn from and grow into active, peaceful, and prosperous individuals who seek personal fulfillment and happiness within their own lives and their communities.