The Second Bill of Rights: FDR's Constitutional Vision and Why We Need It Today, with a new preface by the author

By: Cass R. Sunstein

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: How our economic rights are fundamental to the security and stability of our democracy.In 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a State of the Union Address that should be counted as the greatest political speech of the twentieth century. In it, Roosevelt grappled with the definition of security in a democracy, concluding that &“unless there is security here at home, there cannot be lasting peace in the world.&” To help ensure that security, he proposed a &“Second Bill of Rights&”—economic rights that he saw as necessary to political freedom, including a right to education, a right to adequate health care, a right to a home, and a right to protection against destitution. Many of the great legislative achievements of the past eighty years stem from Roosevelt&’s vision.In The Second Bill of Rights, Cass Sunstein uses this speech as a launching point to show how these rights are vital to the continuing security of our nation. This is an ambitious, sweeping book that argues for a new vision of FDR, of constitutional history, and of our current political scene that has never been more urgent or more relevant.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 304 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9780262385527
Related ISBNs:: 9780262553841
Publisher:: MIT Press
Date of Addition:: 08/19/25
Copyrighted By:: Cass R. Sunstein
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Nonfiction, Business and Finance, Philosophy, Politics and Government
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.