Description
An investigation into how free speech and other civil liberties have been compromised in America by war in six historical periods describes how presidents, Supreme Court justices, and resistors contributed to the administration of civil freedoms, in an account complemented by rare photographs, posters, and historical illustrations. 20,000 first printing.
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During times of war, says Stone (law, U. of Chicago), "the line between dissent and disloyalty is elusive, and often ignored." Throughout American history, it has been especially at such times that the First Amendment right to free speech has been most challenged and, not infrequently, completely abrogated. Stone surveys these challenges, discussing the Sedition Act of 1798, President Lincoln's imprisonment of vocal opponents of his policies, the Espionage and Sedition Acts of World War I, McCarthyism, and repression of dissent during the Vietnam War. He explores the choices of presidents facing dissent, the judges called on to rule on First Amendment cases, and the dissenters determined to speak out. He also considers the parallels between his historical examples and the current "War on Terror." Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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