David J. Bodenhamer is Professor of History and Informatics and Executive Director of the Polis Center at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. Among his most recent books on American constitutional history are The Revolutionary Constitution and The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction.James W. Ely Jr. is Milton R. Underwood Professor of Law and Professor of History Emeritus at Vanderbilt University. He is author or editor of numerous works in constitutional and legal history, including The Guardian of Every Other Right: A Constitutional History of Property Rights, 3rd ed., and The Contract Clause: A Constitutional History.

• IntroductionPart I: The Nature of Rights1. Rights Consciousness in American History, by Daniel T. RodgersPart II: Modern Rights in Controversy2. The First Amendment and the Freedom to Differ, by Suzanna Sherry3. Church and State: The Religion Clauses, by Melvin I. Urofsky4. Public Safety and the Right to Bear Arms, by Robert J. Cottrol and Raymond T. Diamond5. The Enigmatic Place of Property Rights in Modern Constitutional Thought, by James W. Ely, Jr.6. Equal Protection and Affirmative Action, by Paul MorenoPart III: Individual Rights and Public Safety7. Reversing the Revolution: Rights of the Accused in a Conservative Age, by David J. Bodenhamer8. Police Practices and the Bill of Rights, by Laurence A. Benner and Michal R. BelknapPart IV: Emerging Rights9. Privacy Rights in Modern America, by Adam D. Moore10. The Rights of Non-Citizens, by Kunal M. Parker11. The Coming Out of American Law, by Marie-Amélie GeorgePart V: State Constitutional Rights12. Second Wind for State Bills of Rights, by Randall T. ShepardSuggestions for Further ReadingIndex