Overview
Priests of Our Democracy tells of the teachers and professors who battled the anti-communist witch hunt of the 1950s. It traces the political fortunes of academic freedom beginning in the late 19th century, both on campus and in the courts. Combining political and legal history with wrenching personal stories, the book details how the anti-communist excesses of the 1950s inspired the Supreme Court to recognize the vital role of teachers and professors in American democracy. The crushing of dissent in the 1950s impoverished political discourse in ways that are still being felt, and First Amendment academic freedom, a product of that period, is in peril today. In compelling terms, this book shows why the issue should matter to everyone.
Full Product Details
Author: Marjorie Heins
Publisher: New York University Press
Imprint: New York University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.30cm
, Height: 3.00cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.644kg
ISBN: 9780814790519
ISBN 10: 0814790518
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 04 February 2013
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
A fascinating read. Heins creatively blends social and legal history to show how the right to academic freedom was forged out of the struggles and passions of America's worst days of political repression, and why academic freedom is more important than ever today. Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law, New York Law School In this insightful and illuminating history of academic freedom and the Constitution, Marjorie Heins brings to life the characters, controversies, and cases that have framed the evolution of this critical and contentious realm of American liberty. Geoffrey R. Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law, The University of Chicago Combining the legal insights of a constitutional scholar with the archival diligence of an historian, Marjorie Heins has written the definitive study of the Supreme Court's most important academic freedom decision. It's an engrossing account of the assault on educators during the McCarthy era that should be required reading for anyone who values our increasingly endangered First Amendment rights. Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History, Yeshiva University Heins, a civil liberties lawyer and founder of the Free Expression Policy Project, tracks the collision of politics, academic freedom, free speech, and the Constitution in this dense, well-researched study...This compelling study demonstrates that precedent does not guarantee indefinite protection, and every generation must fight for its freedoms. - Publishers Weekly
A fascinating read. Heins creatively blends social and legal history to show how the right to academic freedom was forged out of the struggles and passions of America's worst days of political repression, and why academic freedom is more important than ever today. Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law, New York Law School In this insightful and illuminating history of academic freedom and the Constitution, Marjorie Heins brings to life the characters, controversies, and cases that have framed the evolution of this critical and contentious realm of American liberty. Geoffrey R. Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law, The University of Chicago Combining the legal insights of a constitutional scholar with the archival diligence of an historian, Marjorie Heins has written the definitive study of the Supreme Court's most important academic freedom decision. It's an engrossing account of the assault on educators during the McCarthy era that should be required reading for anyone who values our increasingly endangered First Amendment rights. Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History, Yeshiva University
A fascinating read. Heins creatively blends social and legal history to show how the right to academic freedom was forged out of the struggles and passions of America's worst days of political repression, and why academic freedom is more important than ever today. Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law, New York Law School In this insightful and illuminating history of academic freedom and the Constitution, Marjorie Heins brings to life the characters, controversies, and cases that have framed the evolution of this critical and contentious realm of American liberty. Geoffrey R. Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law, The University of Chicago Combining the legal insights of a constitutional scholar with the archival diligence of an historian, Marjorie Heins has written the definitive study of the Supreme Court's most important academic freedom decision. It's an engrossing account of the assault on educators during the McCarthy era that should be required reading for anyone who values our increasingly endangered First Amendment rights. Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History, Yeshiva University Heins, a civil liberties lawyer and founder of the Free Expression Policy Project, tracks the collision of politics, academic freedom, free speech, and the Constitution in this dense, well-researched study...This compelling study demonstrates that precedent does not guarantee indefinite protection, and every generation must fight for its freedoms. - Publishers Weekly Well written, thorough, and full of personal details about the subjects, this is a telling account of teachers' struggle for academic freedom in America. - Library Journal
Author Information
Marjorie Heins is a civil liberties lawyer, writer, and teacher, and the founding director of the Free Expression Policy Project. Her previous book, Not in Front of the Children, won the American Library Association’s 2002 Eli Oboler Award for best published work in the field of intellectual freedom. Other books include Sex, Sin, and Blasphemy: A Guide to America's Censorship Wars; Cutting the Mustard: Affirmative Action and the Nature of Excellence; and Strictly Ghetto Property: The Story of Los Siete de la Raza. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
