The Devil on Trial: Witches, Anarchists, Communists, and Terrorists in America's Courtrooms by Phillip Margulies and Maxine Rosaler

Margulies and Rosaler examine trials in American history in which absolute evil is placed on trial, where a person’s right to a fair trial becomes a challenge because of their perceived threat to the country. The trials examined include the Salem Witch Trials, the Haymarket Bomb Trial, the Scopes “Monkey” Trial, the trial of Alger Hiss, and the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui. Each chapter explains the history of the trial and analyzes how the country followed its ideals and goal of equal justice under law. Interesting comparisons are made between the trials and the fear evoked during the different eras. The language is straightforward and easy to understand and coupled with photographs and other primary source documents such as warrants and newspaper clippings to make this easily accessible for most readers. Timely and thought-provoking, this book raises many questions that could lead to interesting discussions and though this is not a book that most teens will pick up for leisure reading, it could definitely be used in an American government course. A glossary, notes section, extensive bibliography and index complete the work. My concern with the notes section is that it is not done in a style that students are familiar with and may not recognize. There is no indication within the text of the chapter that anything is cited, readers have to carefully review the notes section while reading the chapter to discover what is cited. How can students be expected to cite their research when the books they are using as sources do no effectively cite their sources?