In 1965, school officials in Des Moines, Iowa, banned the wearing of black armbands by students mourning the dead in the Vietnam War. When the students wore the arm bands anyway, they were suspended. Were the students' constitutional rights violated? Are students in public schools entitled to Freedom of Speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution? Readers will sit in the judge's chair and decide who is right.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in this case still affects the rights and limitations of free speech in schools. Doreen Rappaport uses primary source materials such as newspaper articles, letters, and actual testimony from the trial to tell this story. Readers use their powers of critical thinking to make up their own minds about the merits of the case. Award-winning author Doreen Rappaport is known for her meticulous research and compelling writing. Her other books in the StarWalk Kids Media Library include Living Dangerously: American Women Who Risked Their Lives for Adventure, This School Is Not White, and The Flight of Red Bird.--from the publisher
153 pages 978-0060251178 Ages 10 and up (Grades 5 and up)
Editor's Note: Other titles in the Be the Judge. Be the Jury. series: The Sacco-Vanzetti Trial; The Alger Hiss Trial; The Lizzie Borden Trial
