According to the authors, "whenever American minorities have raised voices of protest, they have been admonished to work within the legal system that seek its abolition." This essential work examines the historical evolution of the legal rights of various groups in America and the relationship between these rights and the philosophical intent of the founders.

Vine Deloria Jr. was named by Time magazine as one of the greatest religious thinkers of the twentieth century. He was a leading scholar who authored many acclaimed books, including God is Red: A Native View of Religion.

Professor David E. Wilkins holds the McKnight Presidential Professorship in American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota.