Freedom of Expression

Front Cover
Lulu.com, 2018 - History - 704 pages
Winner of the 2019 Franklyn S. Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression. This outstanding anthology of essential historical writings and speeches on freedom of speech and freedom of the press provides the reader with a solid grounding in the classical arguments about freedom of expression. This comprehensive collection of 188 carefully-curated primary sources will enhance our understanding of the topic and provide the knowledge to productively engage in the ongoing conversation. Professor Stephen A. Smith, a nationally-recognized First Amendment scholar, presents guided introductions to each selection to assist the reader in understanding the context of the times, the background and motives of the author, and the importance of each selection. This book is an invaluable reference collection for exploring and facilitating significant discussions on the topic, in the classroom or the public sphere, and as a primary source for research, studying, and teaching freedom of expression.
 

Contents

Code of Hammurabi c 1754 B C E
1
Law of the Twelve Tables 451450 B C E
2
Demosthenes Freedom of Speech in Times of Danger 351341 B C E
11
Cicero Against Marcus Antonius 44 BCE
14
Tacitus On the Condemnation of Cremutius Cordus 117
15
Flavius Recceswinth Foum Judicum 654
16
Edward I Scandalum Magnatum 1275
17
Thomas More Speakers Petition for Free Speech in Parliament 1523
20
William Rawle A View of the Constitution 1825
327
James Kent Defamation in American Law 1826
328
Frances Wright Of Free Enquiry 1829
333
Thomas Cooper The Right of Free Discussion 1829
336
Thomas Cooper Liberty of the Press 1830
343
Joseph Story Commentaries on the Constitution 1833
349
Heinrich Heine Liberty of Thought Press and Academic Freedom 1834
354
Francis Wayland The Nature of Intellectual Liberty 1835
356

Irish Parliament An Act of Slander 1537
22
Philip and Mary Act Against Seditious Words and Rumors 1554
23
Philip and Mary Royal Charter of the Company of Stationers 1557
24
Elizabeth I Ordinance on Books and Printing 1566
25
Peter Wentworth Freedom of Speech in Parliament 1576
26
British Parliament Act against Seditious Words and Rumors 1581
33
James I Proclamation on Lavish and Licentious Speech 1620
34
Edward Coke Commons Protestation to James I 1621
35
Francis Bacon Of Seditions and Troubles 1625
36
Charles I Decree of StarChamber Concerning Printing 1637
38
English Parliament An Ordinance for the Regulating of Printing 1643
39
For the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing 1644
40
English Parliament Suppression and Abolishing of StagePlays 1648
52
The Humble Petition for Revoking the Press Licensing Ordinances 1649
53
Benedict de Spinoza Every Man May Say What He Thinks 1670
55
Charles Blount Vindication of Learning and Liberty of the Press 1679
61
John Locke Arguments against the Press Licensing Act 1694
65
Edward Clarke Reasons against Renewing the Press Licensing Act 1695
68
Matthew Tindal Restraint on the Press is Dangerous to Liberties 1698
71
Daniel Defoe An Essay on the Regulation of the Press 1704
75
John Toland Reasons Against Restraining the Press 1704
79
Joseph Addison On Anonymity in Defamatory Publications 1712
83
Thomas Gordon Free Speech is Inseparable from Public Liberty 1721
86
Anthony Collins Apology for Free Debate and Liberty of Writing 1724
89
Benjamin Hoadly Liberty of the Press 1729
91
Benjamin Franklin Printers and Press Freedoms 17311732
92
Andrew Hamilton Defense of Zenger for Seditious Libel 1735
96
Benjamin Franklin Free Speech and a Free Society 17371740
100
Qianlong Emperor Qing Legal Code 1740
101
David Hume Of the Liberty of the Press 1741
104
Independant Briton Peoples Expectations as to Liberty of Press 1742
107
Montesquieu The Spirit of Laws 1748
108
Elie Luzac Essay on Freedom of Expression 1749
110
William Blackstone Commentaries on the Laws of England 1753
114
Thomas Hayter An Essay on the Liberty of the Press 1754
117
Peter Forsskål Thoughts on Civil Liberty 1759
121
Voltaire Liberty of the Press 1764
122
William Bollan Freedom of Speech and Writing on Public Affairs 1766
124
Adolph Friedrik Regarding the Freedom of Writing and Press 1766
126
Claude Adrien Helvetius A Treatise on Man 1769
130
Abby Raynal Freedom of Thought 1770
135
Jean Louis De Lolme Liberty of the Press 1771
136
Junius Freedom of the Press 1772
139
James Burgh Liberty of Speech and Writing on Political Subjects 1775
141
Francis Maseres Seditious Libels and the Power of Juries 1776
144
First American State Constitutions 17761784
148
Richard Price Of Liberty of Discussion 1785
149
Carl Friedrich Bahrdt On Freedom of the Press and its Limits 1787
152
Thomas Jefferson The Only Safeguard of the Public Liberty 1787
156
James Madison Framing the First Amendment 17871791
157
Alexander Hamilton Federalist No 84 1788
169
French National Assembly Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen 1789
171
William Cushing and John Adams Truth as a Defense 1789
172
Thomas Erskine Defense of the Liberty of the Press 1792
175
Friends of Liberty of the Press Resolutions 1792
177
William Godwin Effects of Political Superintendence of Opinion 1793
178
Johann Gottlieb Fichte Reclamation of Freedom of Thought 1793
181
Robert Hall On the Right of Public Discussion 1793
186
Immanuel Kant Theory and Practice 1793
190
Vicesimus Knox The Spirit of Despotism 1795
191
John Thelwall Moral Political Importance of Liberty of Speech 1795
195
Numa A Culture of Democratic Dissent 1796
197
U S Congress Sedition Act 1798
200
Alexander Addison Charge to the Grand Jury 1798
201
George Hay An Essay on the Liberty of the Press 1799
211
Madison Report on the Virginia Resolution 1800
219
Elizabeth Priestley Propriety Expediency of Unlimited Enquiry 1800
225
Thomas Cooper Propriety Expediency of Unlimited Enquiry II 1800
230
Charles Pinckney Legislative Privilege and Freedom of the Press 1800
241
Tunis Wortman Political Enquiry and the Liberty of the Press 1800
245
James Sullivan On Constitutional Freedom of the Press 1801
255
John Thomson Concerning Liberty and Licentiousness of the Press 1801
259
St George Tucker Freedom of Speech and of the Press 1803
265
William Cobbett Libel Law 1808
274
William Ellery Channing Duties of the Citizen in Times of Danger 1812
277
Daniel Webster To Maintain the Right of Discussion during War 1814
281
Benjamin Constant On Freedom of Thought and Press 1815
283
PierrePaul RoyerCollard Freedom of the Press a Necessity 1815
293
Henry Brougham Law of Public Libel 1816
295
Klemens von Metternich Confederal Press Decrees of Carlsbad 1819
297
Jeremy Bentham Liberty of the Press and Public Discussion 1820
299
G W F Hegel Public Opinion and Freedom of Communication 1821
303
Samuel Bailey On the Free Publication of Opinions 1821
305
Leicester Stanhope The Licentiousness of a Press under a Censor 1823
309
James Mill Liberty of the Press 1821
311
Rammohun Roy Petition Against the Press Regulations 1824
321
Alexis de Tocqueville Liberty of Press in America 1835
360
Andrew Jackson Banning Incendiary Publications from the Mail 1835
366
John C Calhoun Postal Censorship and Freedom of the Press 1836
367
Hiland Hall On Postal Censorship of Incendiary Publications 1836
372
William Plumer Critique of Calhouns Report 1836
379
Elijah Lovejoy My Right to Plead the Cause of Truth 18351837
382
Wendell Phillips The Murder of Lovejoy 1837
386
Francis Lieber Freedom of Communication 1838
389
John Quincy Adams Abridging the Right to Petition Congress 1839
391
Walter Colton Freedom of the Press 1840
394
Karl Marx Against Press Censorship 1842
395
William Lloyd Garrison Free Speech and Free Inquiry 1847
397
Frédéric Bastiat Freedom of Discussion Teaching and Press 1848
400
Frederick Grimke Institution of the Press 1848
401
Orestes Brownson The Licentiousness of the Press 1849
406
Herbert Spencer The Right of Free Speech 1851
410
Francis Lieber Publicity and SelfGovernment 1853
413
Elbert H English The Power of Contempt 1855
415
George Holyoake Taxes upon Knowledge 1855
418
John Stuart Mill Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion 1859
423
Frederick Douglass A Plea for Freedom of Speech in Boston 1860
442
Carl Schurz Free Speech 1860
444
William Ellery Channing Tribute to American Abolitionists 1861
449
James Rollins Freedom of Speech 1864
453
Mikhail Bakunin Revolutionary Catechism 1866
457
Thomas M Cooley Liberty of Speech and of the Press 1868
458
James Paterson The Liberty of the Press and Speech 1880
466
Wendell Phillips Agitation the Only Peaceful Method of Progress 1881
469
Ammiel Jenkins Willard Liberty of Speech 1882
471
Anthony Comstock Constitutionality of the Comstock Act 1883
473
Leslie Stephen The Suppression of Poisonous Opinions 1883
476
A V Dicey The Right to Freedom of Discussion 1885
481
Henry C Adams Shall We Muzzle the Anarchists? 1886
483
On the Nature of Human Liberty 1888
489
Samuel Merrill Political Libels 1888
490
Horace Seaver Freedom of Speech Press and Opinion 1888
492
William Mackintire Salter Freedom of Thought and Speech 1891
494
Hannis Taylor Postal Regulations and Freedom of Press 1892
497
Henry Billings Brown The Liberty of the Press 1900
501
Christopher G Tiedeman Criticism of Officers and Candidates 1900
509
William Jennings Bryan Freedom of Speech 1901
511
Ernest Crosby How the United States Curtails Freedom of Thought 1904
512
Ernst Freund Freedom of Speech and Seditious Libel 1904
517
Charles William Eliot Academic Freedom for Teachers 1907
519
Emma Goldman As to Free Speech and Press 1908
523
Louis Post Free Speech and Good Order 1908
524
Theodore Schroeder Meaning of Unabridged Freedom of Speech 1909
527
Samuel Gompers Injunctions and Freedom of Speech 1910
530
T Hobhouse Personal Liberty 1911
536
Lincoln Steffens We Dont Want Any Censorship at All 1911
537
Harris Weinstock Shall Free Speech Be Restricted? 1912
542
J B Bury The Justification of Liberty of Thought 1913
549
Inez Milholland Boissevain Comstockery and Film Censorship 1914
554
Henry Schofield Freedom of the Press in the United States 1914
555
Gilbert Roe Freedom of Assembly 1914
570
Annie MacLean Free Speech for Women Workers 1914
576
Roscoe Pound Personality and Social Interest in Belief and Opinion 1915
578
Charlotte Perkins Gilman Freedom of Speech a Public Safeguard 1915
580
Comm on Industrial Relations Industrial Unrest and Free Speech 1915
581
Joseph McKenna Moving Pictures Are Not Protected Expression 1915
582
Vladimir Lenin On Freedom of the Capitalist Press to Oppress 1917
584
Bertrand Russell Political Ideals 1917
588
George Charles Butte Academic Freedom and Political Activity 1917
590
United States Congress Espionage Act 1917
592
Robert La Follette Free Speech in Wartime 1917
593
Literary Digest Bureaucratic Censorship of Newspapers 1917
597
Nelson and Gibbons Unconstitutionality of the Espionage Act 1918
599
Theodore Roosevelt Sedition a Free Press and Personal Rule 1918
605
United States Congress Sedition Act 1918
607
Zechariah Chafee Jr Free Speech and the Espionage Act 1918
612
Walter Lippmann What Modern Liberty Means 1919
615
Whose Concern? 1919
618
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr A Clear and Present Danger 1919
620
George Bernard Shaw Censorship of Stage Plays 1919
621
Harry Weinberger Discussion of Public Issues Absolutely Protected 1919
626
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr The Marketplace of Ideas 1919
634
Zechariah Chafee Jr Freedom of Speech 1920
635
John Dewey Freedom of Thought and Work 1920
651
Ernst Freund Freedom of Speech and Press 1921
652
Mohandas Gandhi We Encourage the Greatest Freedom of Opinion 1921
656
John W Burgess Recent Changes in Constitutional Theory 1923
657
Harold Laski A Grammar of Politics 1925
660
Louis D Brandeis More Speech Not Enforced Silence 1927
663
Index
665
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About the author (2018)

Stephen A. Smith (Ph.D., Northwestern) is an Emeritus Professor of Communication at the University of Arkansas, where his research and teaching from 1982 until 2015 focused on First Amendment issues.

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