African Americans and the First Amendment : the case for liberty and equality / Timothy C. Shiell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shiell, Timothy C., author.

Series:

SUNY series in African American studies.

Suny series in African American studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African Americans--Civil rights.

African Americans.

Freedom of speech--United States.

Freedom of speech.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (226 pages).

Place of Publication:

Albany : SUNY Press, [2019]

Summary:

2020 CHOICE Outstanding Academic TitleAfrican Americans and the First Amendment is the first book to explore in detail the relationship between African Americans and our "first freedoms," especially freedom of speech. Timothy C. Shiell utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to demonstrate that a strong commitment to civil liberty and to racial equality are mutually supportive, as they share an opposition to orthodoxy and a commitment to greater inclusion and participation. This crucial connection is evidenced throughout US history, from the days of colonial and antebellum slavery to Jim Crow: in the landmark US Supreme Court decision in 1937 freeing the black communist Angelo Herndon; in the struggles and victories of the civil rights movement, from the late 1930s to the late '60s; and in the historical and modern debates over hate speech restrictions. Liberty and equality can conflict in individual cases, Shiell argues, but there is no fundamental conflict between them. Robust First Amendment values protect and encourage demands for racial equality while weak First Amendment values, in contrast, lead to censorship and a chilling of demands for racial equality.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781438475837

1438475837