How did America go from Pilgrims seeking freedom to express their Christian beliefs to today's discrimination against those very beliefs in the name of tolerance? Federer investigates.

Focuses on the substance of American law, the processes that produce its legal principles, and the history of the Supreme Court, from its creation to the present. Overview essays address the history of such topics as citizenship, due process, Native Americans, racism, and contraception, emphasizing the social context of each and the social and political pressures that shaped interpretation.