How Long to Read Diminishing the Bill of Rights

How Long Does it Take to Read Diminishing the Bill of Rights?

It takes the average reader 5 hours and 5 minutes to read Diminishing the Bill of Rights by William Davenport Mercer

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

The modern effort to locate American liberties, it turns out, began in the mud at the bottom of Baltimore harbor. John Barron Jr. and John Craig sued the city for damages after Baltimore’s rebuilt drainage system diverted water and sediment into the harbor, preventing large ships from tying up at Barron and Craig’s wharf. By the time the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1833, the issue had become whether the city’s actions constituted a taking of property by the state without just compensation, a violation of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The high court’s decision in Barron v. Baltimore marked a critical step in the rapid evolution of law and constitutional rights during the first half of the nineteenth century. Diminishing the Bill of Rights examines the backstory and context of this decision as a turning point in the development of our current conception of individual rights. Since the colonial period, Americans had viewed their rights as springing from multiple sources, including the common law, natural right, and English legal tradition. Despite this rich heritage and a prohibition grounded in the Magna Carta against uncompensated state takings of property, the Court ruled against Barron’s claim. The Bill of Rights, Chief Justice John Marshall declared in his opinion for the majority, restrained only the federal government, not the states. The Fifth Amendment, accordingly, did not apply to Maryland or any of the cities it chartered. In explaining how the Court came to reject a multisourced view of human liberties—a position seemingly inconsistent with its previous decisions—William Davenport Mercer helps explain why we now envision the Constitution as essential to guaranteeing our rights. Marshall’s view of rights in Barron, Mercer argues, helped him navigate the Court through the precarious political currents of the time. While the chief justice may have effected a shrewd political maneuver, the decision helped hasten a reconceptualization of rights as located in documents. Its legacy, as Mercer’s work makes clear, is among the Jacksonian era’s significant democratic reforms and marks the emergence of a distinctly American constitutionalism.

How long is Diminishing the Bill of Rights?

Diminishing the Bill of Rights by William Davenport Mercer is 297 pages long, and a total of 76,329 words.

This makes it 100% the length of the average book. It also has 93% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Diminishing the Bill of Rights Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 6 hours and 57 minutes to read Diminishing the Bill of Rights aloud.

What Reading Level is Diminishing the Bill of Rights?

Diminishing the Bill of Rights is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Diminishing the Bill of Rights?

Diminishing the Bill of Rights by William Davenport Mercer is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

To buy Diminishing the Bill of Rights by William Davenport Mercer on Amazon click the button below.