How Long to Read Keeping the People's Liberties

How Long Does it Take to Read Keeping the People's Liberties?

It takes the average reader 4 hours and 44 minutes to read Keeping the People's Liberties by John J. Dinan

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

Description

Which branch of government should be entrusted with safeguarding individual rights? Conventional wisdom assigns this responsibility to the courts, on the grounds that liberty can only be protected through judicial interpretation of bills of rights. In fact it is difficult for many people even to conceive of any other way that rights might be protected. John Dinan challenges this understanding by tracing and evaluating the different methods that have been used to protect rights in the United States from the founding until the present era. By examining legislative statutes, judicial decisions, convention proceedings, and popular initiatives in four representative states-Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, and Oregon-Dinan shows that rights have been secured in the American polity in three principal ways. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, rights were protected primarily through representative institutions. Then in the early twentieth century, citizens began to turn to direct democratic institutions to secure their rights. It was not until the mid-twentieth century that judges came to be seen as the chief protectors of liberties. By analyzing the relative ability of legislators, citizens, and judges to serve as guardians of rights, Dinan's study demonstrates that each is capable of securing certain rights in certain situations. Elected representatives are generally capable of protecting most rights, but popular initiatives provide an effective mechanism for securing rights in the face of legislative intransigence, and judicial decisions offer a superior means of protecting liberties in crisis times. Accordingly, rather than viewing rights protection as the peculiar province of any single institution, this task ought to be considered the proper responsibility of all these institutions. By undertaking a comparison of these institutional methods across such a wide expanse of time, Keeping the People's Liberties makes a highly original contribution to the literature on rights protection and provides a new perspective on debates about the contemporary role of representative, populist, and judicial institutions.

How long is Keeping the People's Liberties?

Keeping the People's Liberties by John J. Dinan is 277 pages long, and a total of 71,189 words.

This makes it 93% the length of the average book. It also has 87% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Keeping the People's Liberties Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 6 hours and 29 minutes to read Keeping the People's Liberties aloud.

What Reading Level is Keeping the People's Liberties?

Keeping the People's Liberties 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 Keeping the People's Liberties?

Keeping the People's Liberties by John J. Dinan is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

To buy Keeping the People's Liberties by John J. Dinan on Amazon click the button below.