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Was the Boston Tea Party the first WTO-style protest against transnational corporations? Did Supreme Court sell out America's citizens in the nineteenth century, with consequences lasting to this day? Is there a way for American citizens to recover democracy of, by, and for the people? Thom Hartmann takes on these most difficult questions and tells a startling story that will forever change your understanding of American history. Amongst a deep historical context, Hartmann describes the history of the Fourteenth Amendment--created at the end of the Civil War to grant basic rights to freed slaves--and how it has been used by lawyers representing corporate interests to extend additional rights to businesses far more frequently than to freed slaves. Prior to 1886, corporations were referred to in U.S. law as ''artificial persons.'' But in 1886, after a series of cases brought by lawyers representing the expanding railroad interests, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations were ''persons'' and entitled to the same rights granted to people under the Bill of Rights. Since this ruling, America has lost the legal structures that allowed for people to control corporate behavior. It's time for ''we, the people'' to take back our lives. In this revised and expanded second edition, Hartmann incorporates specific examples from today's headlines, and proposes specific legal remedies that could truly save the world from political, economic, and ecological disaster. Synopsis: Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights. Was the Boston Tea Party the first WTO-style protest against transnational corporations? Did Supreme Court sell out America's citizens in the nineteenth century, with consequences lasting to this day? Is there a way for American citizens to recover democracy of, by, and for the people? Thom Hartmann takes on these most difficult questions and tells a startling story that will forever change your understanding of American history. He begins by uncovering an original eyewitness account of the Boston Tea Party and demonstrates that it was provoked not by "taxation without representation" as is commonly suggested but by the specific actions of the East India Company, which represented the commercial interests of the British elite. Hartmann then describes the history of the Fourteenth Amendment created at the end of the Civil War to grant basic rights to freed slaves and how it has been used by lawyers representing corporate interests to extend additional rights to businesses far more frequently than to freed slaves. Prior to 1886, corporations were referred to in U S law as "artificial persons" but in 1886, after a series of cases brought by lawyers representing the expanding railroad interests, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations were "persons" and entitled to the same rights granted to people under the Bill of Rights. Since this ruling, America has lost the legal structures that allowed for people to control corporate behavior. As a result, the largest transnational corporations fill a role today that has historically been filled by kings. They control most of the world's wealth and exert power over the lives of most of the world's citizens. Their CEOs are unapproachable and live lives of nearly unimaginable wealth and luxury. They've become the rudder that steers the ship of much human experience, and they're steering it by their prime value-growth and profit and any expense-a value that has become destructive for life on Earth. This new feudalism was not what our Founders-Federalists and Democratic Republicans alike-envisioned for America. It's time for "we, the people" to take back our lives. Hartmann proposes specific legal remedies that could truly save the world from political, economic, and ecological disaster Contents......Page 8 Introduction: The Battle to Save Democracy......Page 10 Part I: Corporations Take Over......Page 22 CHAPTER 1 The Deciding Moment?......Page 23 CHAPTER 2 The Corporate Conquest of America......Page 58 Part II: From the Birth of American Democracy through the Birth of Corporate Personhood......Page 64 CHAPTER 3 Banding Together for the Common Good......Page 65 CHAPTER 4 The Boston Tea Party Revealed......Page 72 CHAPTER 5 Jefferson versus the Corporate Aristocracy......Page 93 CHAPTER 6 The Early Role of Corporations in America......Page 103 CHAPTER 7 The People’s Masters......Page 125 CHAPTER 8 Corporations Go Global......Page 139 CHAPTER 9 The Court Takes the Presidency......Page 161 CHAPTER 10 Protecting Corporate Liars......Page 171 CHAPTER 11 Corporate Control of Politics......Page 179 Part III: Unequal Consequences......Page 196 CHAPTER 12 Unequal Uses for the Bill of Rights......Page 197 CHAPTER 13 Unequal Regulation......Page 202 CHAPTER 14 Unequal Protection from Risk......Page 207 CHAPTER 15 Unequal Taxes......Page 215 CHAPTER 16 Unequal Responsibility for Crime......Page 226 CHAPTER 17 Unequal Privacy......Page 231 CHAPTER 18 Unequal Citizenship and Access to the Commons......Page 234 CHAPTER 19 Unequal Wealth......Page 246 CHAPTER 20 Unequal Trade......Page 258 CHAPTER 21 Unequal Media......Page 269 CHAPTER 22 Unequal Influence......Page 287 Part IV: Restoring Personhood to People......Page 294 CHAPTER 23 Capitalists and Americans Speak Out for Community......Page 295 CHAPTER 24 End Corporate Personhood......Page 299 CHAPTER 25 A New Entrepreneurial Boom......Page 306 CHAPTER 26 A Democratic Marketplace......Page 318 CHAPTER 27 Restoring Government of, by, and for the People......Page 324 Acknowledgments......Page 340 Notes......Page 343 Art Credits......Page 362 B......Page 363 C......Page 365 D......Page 367 E......Page 368 F......Page 369 G......Page 370 H......Page 371 J......Page 372 M......Page 373 N......Page 374 P......Page 375 R......Page 377 S......Page 378 T......Page 379 U......Page 380 W......Page 381 Z......Page 382 About the Author......Page 383 “This is a seminal work, a godsend really, a clear message to every citizen about the need to reform our country, laws, and companies.” —Paul Hawken, New York Times-bestselling author NEW EDITION, REVISED AND UPDATED Unequal taxes, unequal accountability for crime, unequal influence, unequal control of the media, unequal access to natural resources—corporations have gained these privileges and more by exploiting their legal status as persons. How did something so illogical and unjust become the law of the land? Americans have been struggling with the role of corporations since before the birth of the republic. As Thom Hartmann shows, the Boston Tea Party was actually a protest against the British East India Company—the first modern corporation. Unequal Protection tells the astonishing story of how, after decades of sensible limits on corporate power, an offhand, off-the-record comment by a Supreme Court justice led to the Fourteenth Amendment—originally passed to grant basic rights to freed slaves—becoming the justification for granting corporations the same rights as human beings. And Hartmann proposes specific legal remedies that will finally put an end to the bizarre farce of corporate personhood. This new edition has been thoroughly updated and features Hartmann’s analysis of two recent Supreme Court cases, including Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which tossed out corporate campaign finance limits. “If you wonder why and when giant corporations got the power to reign supreme over us, here’s the story.” —Jim Hightower, national radio commentator and New York Times-bestselling author “Tell[s] the grand story of corporate corruption and its consequences for society with the force and readability of a great novel. ”—David C. Korten, bestselling author of When Corporations Rule the World “This is a seminal work, a godsend really, a clear message to every citizen about the need to reform our country, laws, and companies.” —Paul Hawken, New York Times -bestselling author NEW EDITION, REVISED AND UPDATED Unequal taxes, unequal accountability for crime, unequal influence, unequal control of the media, unequal access to natural resources—corporations have gained these privileges and more by exploiting their legal status as persons. How did something so illogical and unjust become the law of the land? Americans have been struggling with the role of corporations since before the birth of the republic. As Thom Hartmann shows, the Boston Tea Party was actually a protest against the British East India Company—the first modern corporation. Unequal Protection tells the astonishing story of how, after decades of sensible limits on corporate power, an offhand, off-the-record comment by a Supreme Court justice led to the Fourteenth Amendment—originally passed to grant basic rights to freed slaves—becoming the justification for granting corporations the same rights as human beings. And Hartmann proposes specific legal remedies that will finally put an end to the bizarre farce of corporate personhood. This new edition has been thoroughly updated and features Hartmann’s analysis of two recent Supreme Court cases, including Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission , which tossed out corporate campaign finance limits. “If you wonder why and when giant corporations got the power to reign supreme over us, here’s the story.” —Jim Hightower, national radio commentator and New York Times -bestselling author “ Tell[s] the grand story of corporate corruption and its consequences for society with the force and readability of a great novel. ”—David C. Korten, bestselling author of When Corporations Rule the World Annotation. Was the Boston Tea Party the first WTO-style protest against transnational corporations? Did Supreme Court sell out America's citizens in the nineteenth century, with consequences lasting to this day? Is there a way for American citizens to recover democracy of, by, and for the people? Thom Hartmann takes on these most difficult questions and tells a startling story that will forever change your understanding of American history. Amongst a deep historical context, Hartmann describes the history of the Fourteenth Amendment--created at the end of the Civil War to grant basic rights to freed slaves--and how it has been used by lawyers representing corporate interests to extend additional rights to businesses far more frequently than to freed slaves. Prior to 1886, corporations were referred to in U.S. law as "artificial persons." But in 1886, after a series of cases brought by lawyers representing the expanding railroad interests, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations were "persons" and entitled to the same rights granted to people under the Bill of Rights. Since this ruling, America has lost the legal structures that allowed for people to control corporate behavior. It's time for "we, the people" to take back our lives. In this revised and expanded second edition, Hartmann incorporates specific examples from today's headlines, and proposes specific legal remedies that could truly save the world from political, economic, and ecological disaster. "Hartmann tells a startling story of the rise of corporate dominance and the theft of human rights as corporations use the Fourteenth Amendment to further their own agendas"--Provided by publisher Unequal taxes, unequal accountability for crime, unequal influence, unequal control of the media, unequal access to natural resources