Overview
In a stinging dissent to a 1961 Supreme Court decision that allowed the Illinois state bar to deny admission to prospective lawyers if they refused to answer political questions, Justice Hugo Black closed with the memorable line, ""We must not be afraid to be free."" Black saw the First Amendment as the foundation of American freedom--the guarantor of all other Constitutional rights. Yet since free speech is by nature unruly, people fear it. The impulse to curb or limit it has been a constant danger throughout American history. In We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free, Ron Collins and Sam Chaltain, two noted free speech scholars and activists, provide authoritative and vivid portraits of free speech in modern America. The authors offer a series of engaging accounts of landmark First Amendment cases, including bitterly contested cases concerning loyalty oaths, hate speech, flag burning, student anti-war protests, and McCarthy-era prosecutions. The book also describes the colorful people involved in each case--the judges, attorneys, and defendants--and the issues at stake. Tracing the development of free speech rights from a more restrictive era--the early twentieth century--through the Warren Court revolution of the 1960s and beyond, Collins and Chaltain not only cover the history of a cherished ideal, but also explain in accessible language how the law surrounding this ideal has changed over time. Essential for anyone interested in this most fundamental of our rights, We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free provides a definitive and lively account of our First Amendment and the price courageous Americans have paid to secure them.
Full Product Details
Author: Ronald K.L. Collins (Harold S. Shefelman Scholar, Harold S. Shefelman Scholar, University of Washington School of Law) ,
Sam Chaltain (Former National Director, Former National Director, Forum for Education and Democracy, New York, NY) ,
Ronald Collins
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 23.90cm
, Height: 3.60cm
, Length: 16.50cm
Weight: 0.699kg
ISBN: 9780195175721
ISBN 10: 0195175727
Pages: 448
Publication Date: 09 January 2014
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
<br> Collins and Chaltain vividly bring to life inspiring but little-known, real-world stories of remarkable men and women who personally struggled with fear and freedom, thus endowing us with an enduring legacy of enhanced liberty. Superb in both substance and style, this book demonstrates that the defense of free speech epitomizes courage and patriotism. --Nadine Strossen, Professor, New York Law School, and Past President of the ACLU<p><br> If you've ever wanted to know the life history of the First Amendment--the parties, the lawyers, the justices, the agony, the glory--this is the book for you! --Geoffrey R. Stone, Professor, The University of Chicago Law School <br><p><br> We Must Not Be Afraid to be Free is a well written and loving tribute to our First Amendment tradition and to the people who have given it life. The book is packed with original history and a deep understanding of the tensions internal to our commitments to freedom of speech. It is a major contribution to the F
Author Information
Ronald K. L. Collins is the Harold S. Shefelman Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law and a fellow at the First Amendment Center. He is the editor of The Fundamental Holmes: A Free Speech Chronicle and Reader. Sam Chaltain is the past National Director of the Forum for Education and Democracy in Washington, DC. He writes and consults regularly about democracy and learning.
