The volume considers civil rights law from legal, historical and political perspectives. It discusses cases on desegregation, affirmative action, and access to public accommodations, issues covered in most constitutional law casebooks. In addition, it examines cases involving slavery, housing discrimination, interracial marriages, voting, wills with discriminatory provisions, group libel, hate speech policies, hate crime laws, sit-ins, peaceful demonstrations, and the trial of the police accused of beating Rodney King. The book emphasizes the statutory foundation of civil rights laws, an area of increasing importance for the contemporary Court and illustrative of the interaction between Congress and the Supreme Court in refining the meaning of equality. The book is divided into five chapters, each with highlighted excerpts from civil rights statutes and other important background material: (1) From Marshall to Fuller: The Era of White Supremacy and Second-Class Citizenship, 1801-1910; (2) From White to Vinson: The Campaign for Racial Equality, 1910-1953; (3) The Warren Court: The Era of Rising Expectations and Massive Resistance, 1953-1969; (4) The Burger Court: The Era of Ambivalence and Uncertainty, 1969-1986; and (5) The Rehnquist Court: The Era of Retrenchment and Unpredictability, 1986-1995. Notes, tables, figures, index, cases cited