Who are the real citizens of America? Which people truly qualify for equality under the law? Two hundred years ago, an honest answer to these questions would have excluded not only women, slaves, and Indians, but also Germans, Scotch-Irish, Catholics, and Jews. Yet the Declaration of Independence expresses a profound commitment to the ideal of equal citizenship. Throughout their history Americans have simultaneously believed in equality and accepted the subordination of groups of people--and both views have been reflected in American law. In this lively and original book, a leading...

The conservative ""social issues agenda"" promises to use the power of law to effect a cultural counterrevolution that would negate the successes of the civil rights movement, the women's movement, and the gay rights movement. In this lively and provocative book, ( a constitutional law scholar] for law ads) the author of Belonging to America discusses a wide range of issues-from street crime and pornography to abortion and school prayer-and argues eloquently that most of the social issues agenda violates the constitutional principle of equal citizenship.