Topic: Politics, Law and Government / Human Rights & Civil Liberties

 
Free Expression in America
A Documentary History
Sheila Suess Kennedy, ed.
978-1-44082-639-9

This eBook may be purchased through the following distributors:

 
Sheila Suess Kennedy, ed.
ADD COPY 2009 ABC-CLIO

Free Expression in America

A Documentary History

Sheila Suess Kennedy, ed. Sheila Suess Kennedy, ed.


November 1999

Greenwood

Series: Primary Documents in American History and Contemporary Issues

Cover
Pages
Volumes
Size
Hardcover
360
1
6 1/8x9 1/4
 
ISBN
eISBN
978-0-313-30241-1
978-1-4408-2639-9
Print in Stock
$65.00

add to cart

Over 100 primary documents illuminate the concept of free expression and how it has evolved since the founding of our country.

Freedom of speech is a foundational principle of the American Constitutional system. This collection of over 100 primary documents from a variety of sources will help students understand exactly what is meant by free speech, and how it has evolved since the founding of our country. Court cases, opinion pieces, and many other documents bring to life the tension between America's constitutional commitment to robust and unrestrained discourse and recurring efforts to suppress expression deemed dangerous, degrading or obscene. Explanatory introductions to each document aid users in understanding the various arguments put forth in debates over exactly how to define the Constitution to encourage readers to consider all sides when drawing their own conclusions.

Relying heavily on Supreme Court precedents that have shaped First Amendment law, the volume also provides plenty of carefully selected source materials chosen to reflect the culture of the times, allowing the reader to better understand the climate giving rise to each controversy. The introductory and explanatory text help readers understand the nature of the conflicts, the issues being litigated, the social and cultural pressures that shaped each debate, and the manner in which the composition of the Supreme Court and the passions of the individual Justices affected the development of the law. This welcome resource will provide students with the opportunity to explore the philosophy of the First Amendment's Free Speech provisions and to understand how our historic commitment to freedom of expression has fared at various times in our history.
Series Foreword
Introduction
Foundations of Liberty
The Concept of Free Speech and the Role of the Government
1900-1950: A Half-Century of Paternalism
The 1950s: McCarthyism, Racism, and Censorship
1960-1998: Smut, Cyberspace and Political Correctness
Index
Reviews
...partiularly helpful for high school or college students researching issues of current interest. Privacy on the Internet and prayer in public schools are typical examples. However, it also makes fascinating reading for ordinary citizens who are interested in probing both sides of some of the issues that have plagued Americans for many years. It is highly recommended.—ARBA