We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free Stories of Free Expression in America

In We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free , Ron Collins and Sam Chaltain, who have written widely on free speech matters, provide authoritative and vivid portraits of free speech in modern America. The authors offer a series of engaging accounts of landmark First Amendment cases, including bitterly contested cases concerning loyalty oaths, hate speech, flag burning, student anti-war protests, and McCarthy-era prosecutions. The book also describes the colorful people involved in each case--the judges, attorneys, and defendants--and the issues at stake. Tracing the development of free speech rights from a more restrictive era--the early twentieth century--through the Warren Court revolution of the 1960s and beyond, Collins and Chaltain not only cover the history of a cherished ideal, but explain in accessible language how the law surrounding this ideal has changed over time. Essential for anyone interested in this most fundamental of our rights, We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free provides a definitive and lively account of our First Amendment freedoms and the price courageous Americans have paid to secure them.

Ronald K. L. Collins is the Harold S. Shefelman Scholar at the University of Washington, School of Law and a fellow at the First Amendment Center.

Sam Chaltain is a national education and organizational change consultant.