And the Walls Came Tumbling Down : Greatest Closing Arguments Protecting Civil Libertie

A compendium of closing arguments that were given during eight key civil rights court cases documents such landmark precedents as the Amistad slavery case and the Larry Flynt free speech trial, in a volume complemented by historical information, attorney bios, and analyses of the closing arguments. 35,000 first printing. The second volume in a must-have trilogy of the best closing arguments in American legal history Every day, Americans enjoy the freedom to decide what we do with our property, our bodies, our speech, and our votes. However, the rights to these freedoms have not always been guaranteed. Our civil rights have been assured by cases that have produced monumental shifts in America's cultural, political, and legal landscapes. And the Walls Came Tumbling Down showcases eight of the most exciting closing arguments in civil law -- from the Amistad case, in which John Quincy Adams brought the injustice of slavery to the center stage of American politics, to the Susan B. Anthony decision, which paved the way to success for women's suffrage, to the Larry Flynt trial, in which the porn king became an unlikely champion for freedom of speech. By providing historical and biographical details, as well as the closing arguments themselves, Lief and Caldwell give readers the background necessary to fully understand these important cases, bringing them vividly to life. "From the authors of the critically acclaimed Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury comes a collection of closing arguments that spans 250 years and eight landmark trials that have redefined civil rights in America and profoundly affected our society." "Until now, the closing arguments from these trials have been unavailable to the lay reader - except in the lasting effects of the decisions that they influenced. But here the authors have collected some of the most pivotal and exciting closing arguments in history - from the Amistad case, in which John Quincy Adams brought the injustice of slavery to the center stage of American politics, to the Susan B. Anthony decision, which paved the way to success for women's suffrage, to the Larry Flynt trial, in which the porn king became an unlikely champion for freedom of speech."--BOOK JACKET. To be or not to be / Karen Ann Quinlan and the right to die The Amistad odyssey / American courts decide if a free man can be forced into slavery Enemy within / Radio state John Henry Faulk challenges the McCarthy-Era Blacklist A woman's rightful place / Susan B. Anthony casts a vote and battles for the ballot The truth shall set you free / The English crown and colonial government try muzzling newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger and the fledgling-American press The porn king and the preacher / Larry Flynt takes on the moral majority and becomes an unlikely champion for free speech What price too high? / One woman's fight for survival against cancer-and her HMO Cleansing the gene pool / Carrie Buck's forced sterilization and the limits on reproductive freedom. To be or not to be : Karen Ann Quinlan and the right to die The Amistad odyssey : American courts decide if a free man can be forced into slavery Enemy within : radio star John Henry Faulk challenges the McCarthy-era blacklist A woman's rightful place : Susan B. Anthony casts a vote and battles for the ballot The truth shall set you free : the English crown and colonial government try muzzling newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger and the fledgling American press The porn king and the preacher : Larry Flynt takes on the moral majority and becomes an unlikely champion for free speech What price too high? : One woman's fight for survival against cancer and her HMO Cleansing the gene pool : Carrie Buck's forced sterilization and the limits on reproductive freedom. Living wills. DNR orders. Extraordinary measures. Americans hear the terms every week, courtesy of TV shows like ER, yet their very familiarity serves to hide the tragedy behind their origin. A collection of closing arguments from eight landmark trials spanning 250 years of American history, all of which redefined civil rights in the United States and profoundly impacted society