Following a general introduction that traces the development of a constitutional basis for the Court's role as guardian of individual rights, the discussion unfolds in four sections. Part I focuses on freedoms protected by the first amendment: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. Part II concerns the rights of political participation: the right to vote, the right to have one's vote count equally with others, and the right to associate with those holding similar political beliefs. Part III examines the guarantee of due process, of fundamental fairness for persons accused of crime. Part IV addresses the expanding guarantee of equal protection, which is the basis for the modern revolution in civil rights, in which women, aliens, and the poor have joined the Nation's blacks in moving toward the goal of equal rights. Glossary of legal terms, explanation of how to read a legal citation, copy of the U.S. Constitution, 14-item selected bibliography, subject index, case index. (Publisher summary modified)