The Freedom not to speak / Haig Bosmajian.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bosmajian, Haig A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Freedom of speech--United States--History.

Freedom of speech.

Self-incrimination.

History.

Confession (Law).

Silence (Law).

United States.

Silence (Law)--United States--History.

Confession (Law)--United States--History.

Self-incrimination--United States--History.

Physical Description:

v, 241 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, [1999]

Summary:

Hotly contested and vigorously defended since it was first written into the Bill of Rights, freedom of speech is a basic right that all Americans hold dear. But what of the freedom not to speak? Should, for instance, a special prosecutor be able to compel a mother to testify about, and incriminate, her own daughter? The freedom not to speak is an implicit "right" that holds great relevance for all of us -- the freedom not to speak when commanded by church and state, not to sign an oath, not to salute a flag, not to assert a belief in God, or not to reveal one's political beliefs and associations.

Bosmajian traces the history of the freedom not to speak from the Middle Ages and Inquisition to the twentieth century and the House Committee on Un-American Activities. His history addresses the Civil War and Reconstruction loyalty oaths by Union Confederate soldiers, and the expulsion of Jehovah's Witnesses from schools for refusing to salute the flag, and includes an analysis of coerced speech in a variety of literary works. Bosmajian also contemplates the future of this right to silence and argues for the importance of a specifically labeled and firmly established freedom not to speak.

Contents:

1 Heresy, the Inquisition, and Coerced Speech 15

2 Coerced Speech in Early America 40

3 "I Do Solemnly Swear ..." in Mid-Twentieth-Century America 63

4 From "I Pledge Allegiance ..." to "Are You a Member of ...?" 104

5 Coerced Speech and Un-American Activities Committees 142

6 A Freedom Not to Speak 167.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-231) and index.

ISBN:

0814712975

OCLC:

40180325