Skip to content

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "one Person, One Vote" to the United States Paperback - 2015

by J. Douglas Smith


From the publisher

Winner of the Henry Adams Prize from the Society for History in the Federal Government
A Washington Post Notable Work of Nonfiction
A Slate Best Book of 2014

The inside story of the Supreme Court decisions that brought true democracy to the United States

As chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Earl Warren is most often remembered for landmark rulings in favor of desegregation and the rights of the accused. But Warren himself identified a lesser known group of cases-Baker v. Carr, Reynolds v. Sims, and their companions-as his most important work. J. Douglas Smith's On Democracy's Doorstep masterfully recounts the tumultuous and often overlooked events that established the principle of "one person, one vote" in the United States.

Before the Warren Court acted, American democracy was in poor order. As citizens migrated to urban areas, legislative boundaries remained the same, giving rural lawmakers from sparsely populated districts disproportionate political power-a power they often used on behalf of influential business interests. Smith shows how activists ranging from city boosters in Tennessee to the League of Women Voters worked to end malapportionment, incurring the wrath of chambers of commerce and southern segregationists as they did so. Despite a conspiracy of legislative inaction and a 1946 Supreme Court decision that instructed the judiciary not to enter the "political thicket," advocates did not lose hope. As Smith shows, they skillfully used the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause to argue for radical judicial intervention. Smith vividly depicts the unfolding drama as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy pressed for change, Solicitor General Archibald Cox cautiously held back, young clerks pushed the justices toward ever-bolder reform, and the powerful Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen obsessively sought to reverse the judicial revolution that had upended state governments from California to Virginia.

Today, following the Court's recent controversial decisions on voting rights and campaign finance, the battles described in On Democracy's Doorstep have increasing relevance. With erudition and verve, Smith illuminates this neglected episode of American political history and confronts its profound consequences.

Details

  • Title On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "one Person, One Vote" to the United States
  • Author J. Douglas Smith
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 384
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Hill & Wang, NY
  • Date 2015
  • ISBN 9780809074242 / 0809074249
  • Weight 1 lbs (0.45 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 in (21.84 x 14.73 x 3.05 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
  • Dewey Decimal Code 342.730

About the author

J. Douglas Smith is the author of Managing White Supremacy: Race, Politics, and Citizenship in Jim Crow Virginia, which received the 2003 Library of Virginia Literary Award in Nonfiction. He is the director of humanities at the Colburn Music Conservatory and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought ""One Person, One Vote"" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Simi Valley, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.99
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. Very Good. 1.1000 8.6000 5.8000. Has a remainder mark.\r\n
Item Price
$2.99
$3.99 shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought ""One Person, One Vote"" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Simi Valley, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$3.60
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. Very Good. 1.1000 8.6000 5.8000.
Item Price
$3.60
$3.99 shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought ""One Person, One Vote"" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Simi Valley, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$3.60
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. Very Good. 1.1000 8.6000 5.8000. Cover and edges show light wear. Pages are clean and intact.
Item Price
$3.60
$3.99 shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought ""One Person, One Vote"" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Simi Valley, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$3.60
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. Very Good. 1.1000 8.6000 5.8000. Light shelfwear. Pages clean and intact. Remainder marking.
Item Price
$3.60
$3.99 shipping to USA
ON DEMOCRACY'S DOORSTEP: THE INS
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

ON DEMOCRACY'S DOORSTEP: THE INS

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
Condition
UsedVeryGood
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Center Moriches, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.13
$3.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedVeryGood. Fast Shipping - Safe and Secure 7 days a week!
Item Price
$5.13
$3.00 shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person, One Vote" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$8.66
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. Used: Good.
Item Price
$8.66
FREE shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person, One Vote" to the United States

by J. Douglas Smith

  • Used
  • near fine
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Near Fine
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Wake Forest , North Carolina, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$9.89
$4.50 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Seems unread. Uncreased spine, no writing or marks, no folded page corners.
Item Price
$9.89
$4.50 shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person,...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person, One Vote" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
780
Seller
Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$10.67
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. New.
Item Price
$10.67
$3.99 shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person,...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person, One Vote" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Like New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
780
Seller
Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$12.68
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. Like New.
Item Price
$12.68
$3.99 shipping to USA
On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought One Person, One Vote...
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought "One Person, One Vote" to the United States

by Smith, J. Douglas

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used:Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780809074242
ISBN 10
0809074249
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$20.80
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hill and Wang, 2015-06-23. Paperback. Used:Good.
Item Price
$20.80
FREE shipping to USA