Silencing the Opposition: How the U.s. Government Suppressed Freedom of Expression During Major Crises

The first edition of Silencing the Opposition examined major challenges to the First Amendment using illustrative case studies of the various forms of governmental suppression in U.S. history. The essays provided a history of how 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, the authors offered a way to combat the strategies in the future. This second edition of Silencing the Opposition includes a revised introduction and conclusion, updated chapters, and three new chapters: one on the Suffragist movement; one on campaign spending reforms; and one on issues that flow from 9/11, including the Patriot Act and habeas corpus for "enemy combatants." In these revisions and additions, Smith has provided a valuable, timely collection that examines civil liberty reforms in the United States. Book jacket.

Craig R. Smith is Professor of Communication Studies at California State University, Long Beach, where he also directs the Center for First Amendment Studies. He has written many books, including The Four Freedoms of the First Amendment; Rhetoric and Human Consciousness: A History; and Daniel Webster and the Oratory of Civil Religion. He regularly publishes editorials on the subject of freedom of expression in such prestigious newspapers as The Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.