Freedom of Speech: Rights and Liberties Under the Law (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781576076002)

An innovative narrative approach combines history, politics, and legal doctrine to explore the origin and evolution of Americans' constitutional right to free speech.

In a field dominated by jargon-filled texts and march-of-progress treatments, this book presents an insightful introduction to freedom of speech, skillfully blending legal analysis with accounts of how staunchly contested historical, political, and cultural issues often influenced legal reasoning.

The volume traces the origins of the freedom in English law and its development through the founding of the United States, and examines how the unique struggles of 19th century Americans over such issues as political parties, slavery, women's rights, and economic inequality transformed this traditional English right into a distinctively American one. The book outlines the ways in which the U.S. Supreme Court became the prime interpreter of the meaning of free speech and introduces readers to current court rulings on the First Amendment. It also speculates about the political and legal developments likely to emerge in the new century.

Author: Ken I. Kersch, Kenneth Ira Kersch
ISBN-10: 1576076008
ISBN-13: 9781576076002
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Language: English
Published: 03/19/2003
Pages: 432
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.48h x 6.04w x 1.13d

Review Citation(s):
American Reference Bks Annual 01/01/2004 pg. 254
Rec Ref Bks for Small/Med Libr 01/01/2004 pg. 112