How Free Speech Saved Democracy: The Untold History of How the First Amendment Became an Essential Tool for Securing Liberty and Social Justice

Finan (From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act), chairman of the National Coalition Against Censorship, issues a full-throated defense of free expression in this sharply focused history. Noting that in recent years progressives have begun to advocate for restrictions on language they regard as “hate speech,” Finan sketches the history of the labor, antislavery, women’s suffrage, antiwar, and civil rights movements in America to show how crucial the First Amendment has been to these and other progressive causes. He’s particularly insightful in explaining instances in which national security has been used as a justification for restricting free speech, noting that the 1917 Espionage Act was used broadly by the federal government to crack down on opponents of U.S. foreign policy, leading to prison sentences for prominent activists like Socialist Party leader Eugene Debs, as well as ordinary citizens, including a group of 30 South Dakotans of German extraction who petitioned the state’s governor to reform draft laws. Making an airtight case that those who wish to restrict speech will always present their reasons for doing so as a product of extraordinary times, Finan issues a stark warning against encroaching on the freedom of expression. Progressives will want to take heed. (Apr.)