Free expression and the human condition -- Ancient speech and natural law -- The British experience : the star chamber, Blackstone, and "the nonconformists" -- The American revolution and Madison's monster -- The Boston Tea Party and America's birth in rage -- Shays' rebellion and the rise of American sedition -- The whiskey rebellion and "Hamilton's insurrection" -- Fries and the faux rebellion -- Adams and the return of "the monster" -- Jefferson and the wasp -- Jackson and the "lurking traitors" amongst us -- Lincoln and the Copperheads -- The gilded age and the mobbing of "free speech" -- Comstock and the obscenity of dissent -- "Wobblies" and World War I -- The bund and the biddle : sedition in World War II -- McCarthy and the Red Scare -- The daysof rage : race, rhetoric, and rebellion in the 1960s -- Antifa, MAGA, and the age of rage -- January 6th and the revival of American sedition -- Holmes and the "route to hell" -- Holmes and Schenck : the socialist in a crowded theater -- Holmes and the "Deb's rebellion" -- The good Holmes and the abandonment of Schenck -- Rockwellian free speech -- Finding the 42 of free speech -- "False news" and censorship by surrogate -- Academic orthodoxy and the restoration of free speech in higher education -- Slaying Madison's monster : ending sedition and speech prosecutions.
Summary:
"A timely, revelatory look at freedom of speech-our most basic right and the one that protects all the others. Free speech is a human right, and the free expression of thought is at the very essence of being human. The United States was founded on this premise, and the First Amendment remains the single greatest constitutional commitment to the right of free expression in history. Yet there is a systemic effort to bar opposing viewpoints on subjects ranging from racial discrimination to police abuse, fromclimate change to gender equity. These measures are reinforced by the public's anger and rage; flash mobs appear today with the slightest provocation. We all lash out against anyone or anything that stands against our preferred certainty. The Indispensable Right places the current attacks on free speech in their proper historical, legal, and political context. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights were not only written for times like these, but in a time like this. This country was born in an age of rage and for 250 years we have periodically lost sight of the value of free expression. The history of the struggle for free speech is the story of extraordinary people-nonconformists who refuse to yield to abusive authority-and here is a mosaic of vivid characters and controversies. Jonathan Turley takes you through the figures and failures that have shaped us and then shows the unique dangers of our current moment. The alliance of academic, media, and corporate interests with the government's traditionalwish to control speech has put us on an almost irresistible path toward censorship. The Indispensable Right reminds us that we remain a nation grappling with the implications of free expression and with the limits of our tolerance for the speech of others. For rather than a political crisis, this is a crisis of faith"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.