Silencing the Opposition - Government Strategies of Suppression of Freedom of Expression

Examines major challenges to the First Amendment using case studies of the various forms of governmental suppression in U. S. history.

"This book is highly intelligent for those with an interest in the U. S. Constitution and especially the meaning and theory of the First Amendment. It is a very well written, effectively supported book that can contribute significantly to the growing body of literature on freedom of expression." – John J. Makay, Director, School of Mass Communications, Bowling Green State University

This volume examines major challenges to the First Amendment using illustrative case studies of the various forms of governmental suppression in our history. Essays show that governmental forces have used rhetorical strategies in simple and sophisticated ways to silence opponents.By studying which strategies are effective, how they evolve, and how they are unmasked, we gain a better understanding to combat them in the future.

The case studies include the crisis surrounding the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, Abraham Lincoln's suspension of Habeas Corpus during the Civil War, the Radical Republican's revenge on he South during reconstruction, the marginalization of Native Americans throughout our history, the suppression of labor unions at the end of the nineteenth century, Senator Joseph McCarthy's allegations that the government had been infiltrated by Communists at the outset of the Cold War, and Lyndon Johnson's and Richard Nixon's strategies for silencing their opponents during the Vietnam War. The editor concludes the study by comparing and contrasting the various cases and the lessons that can be drawn from them.

"This book has a number of especially attractive features. It achieves an understanding of suppression of freedom of expression by the national government of the United States by (1) the selection of seven crucial episodes in American history; (2) the re-telling of these stories with considerable narrative detail; (3) the interpretation of these episodes in suppression of freedom of expression not only in political, legal, and historical terms but also as rhetorical encounters, in which due attention is paid both to the expression that is being suppressed and to the rhetorical means by which that suppression is advocated, and in some cases, overthrown. This rhetorical focus gives the book its special claim to advance our knowledge." – Thomas W. Benson, Penn State University

Craig R. Smith is Professor and Director of the Center for First Amendment Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He has written several books including To Form a More Perfect Union; First Amendment Rights of Commercial Speakers; Freedom of Expression and Partisan Politics; and The Diversity Principle: Friend or Foe of the First Amendment.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The Hamiltonian Federalists
2. Lincoln and Habeas Corpus
3. The Radical Republicans
4. Suppression of Native American Culture
5. Silencing the Union Movement
6. The McCarthy Era
7. Vietnam: Press, Protest, and the Presidency