Liberty on Trial in America: Cases that Defined Freedom

by Douglas O. Linder

We like to believe that the founding principle of the United States is liberty. “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Patrick Henry famously said in 1775 to encourage the Virginia colonists to fight for their freedom. It was liberty for which he was willing to sacrifice his life. So, you would think that when the United States of America was formed, our citizenry could finally enjoy a plethora of hard-won liberties.

But that was not the case. While the new Americans no longer suffered from taxation without representation, many of the liberties we enjoy today were not part of their lives. In Liberty on Trial in America: Cases that Defined Freedom, you will learn how liberty increased in our country when individuals sued for those freedoms, when cases were brought specifically to test the limits of the Constitution with its Amendments, and even when a jury in a local case returned an unexpected verdict that helped change the thinking of the times.

In 24 fascinating lectures, Professor Douglas O. Linder of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law takes you behinds the scenes of the trials that brought many of the liberties we enjoy today. You’ll learn what happened when Anne Hutchinson dared to speak her religious ideas in the Massachusetts Bay Colony of the 1600s, when Susan B. Anthony decided to vote in a national election, when activists promoted radical ideas in the 1880s in Chicago, when Jehovah’s Witnesses decided their children should not be forced to salute the American flag in school, and more.

Genres: History, Law, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Politics, Biography, Historical

12 pages, Audiobook

First published January 7, 2020

Reviews

[Bruce Katz]

Another well-done course from Professor Linder. He covers important cases in American history, including some from the colonial period, and explains what the social context was, what arguments were made on both/all sides, and what was at stake. His delivery is accessible and pleasant. Personally, I would have liked a little more depth, but the course is intended for a general audience. Some really important cases are not discussed, but Linder acknowledges that himself. He even names the cases he would have liked to discuss.

Definitely one of the best Great Courses offerings I've watched/listened to.

[Denise]

Court cases in the US may have no direct bearing on my life, but even so I was familiar with quite a few of the landmark cases discussed in this course. Linder provides engagingly presented overview over a variety of court cases touching on issues of liberty of all kinds, from the 1600s until today. Quite interesting and worth listening to.

[Alex Shrugged]

These are cases chosen by the professor that he suggests define Freedom. He leaves things out, but in a long course like this one, you have to drop something. This is really a sampler. I suggest that the you seek out more information on the cases that interest you the most. I know that in some cases there is a lot of important information available that was left out of this course.

I recommend reading, "Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck" by Adam Cohen.

The professor failed to mention (or maybe I just missed it) that the Supreme Court endorsed the idea of forced sterilization of people (including prisoners). A doctor need not inform the patient that he is doing it. Although the states eventually rescinded the laws forcing the sterilization of undesirables, the states could pass those laws once more, and those laws would be perfectly legal according to the Supreme Court. They never reversed themselves.

[Eric]

A fine selection of lectures. While not exhaustive in capturing the nature of liberty in our jurisprudence over more than two centuries, it is at least a great and entertaining start to understanding the condition of liberty in the body politic today.

I was particularly struck by Linder's closing remarks concerning John Brown. He posed that John Brown, not Fort Sumter, was the kickoff event to America's Civil War. Further, with some justification, he makes the case that Brown moved up the beginning of that war by at least a generation. And had it started a generation later there would likely have been far more dead due to the rapidly evolving state of weaponry. By forcing the issue, one less generation of African-Americans would endure chattel slavery. An interesting insight.

[Kenneth Sowers]

this course is an outstanding overview of the court cases that make America

[John Harris]

Great course on many Supreme Court cases that shaped out current liberty. Some I didn’t know, some made me mad but all made me think how amazing our country is in the world.

[Elizabeth]

Audiobook, very informative

[Marijo]

This lecture series was far more than I was expecting. It begins with Puritan settlers fighting for the right to preach the gospel and progresses to current questions about animal rights. Liberty on Trial looks at how the American concept of "freedom" has changed from the time of the first colonists to today. The author does a great job avoiding legal jargon and does a fine job of explaining the terms he does use.

I read a lot, and typically only post reviews for books that I really enjoy. This one, however, was exceptional, even by my standards, and I couldn't bear to put the book down.

[Helen]

I am evaluating the video course + book set put out by The Great Courses in 2020. I loved this lecture set! The lecturer is clear in his speech, and he puts a lot into what he says! The course describes over twenty cases in the colony-and-USA courts, all of which add or subtract some liberty for the people. Recommended to all who enjoy criminal justice, courts, law, US history, or cultural studies!

[David]

The descriptions of the various cases were interesting. Apart from a rather anodyne summing-up paragraph at the end of each one, however, one is left to do one’s own connection of the dots with the world of the 2020s.

[Matthew Bee]

I didn’t expect to enjoy this lecture series nearly as much as I did. The professor manages to succinctly summarize many of the most prolific trials involving individual liberty of the western tradition (mainly focusing on the USA). You’re just about guaranteed to walk away from these stories with some level of righteous indignation.