Portal:Freedom of speech/Selected article/21

Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment is a non-fiction book by Anthony Lewis about freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of thought and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The book begins by quoting the relevant portion of the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press...", and traces the evolution of civil liberties in the United States through key historical events. Lewis provides an overview of important free speech case law including Supreme Court of the United States opinions in Schenck v. United States (1919), Whitney v. California (1927), United States v. Schwimmer (1929), New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), and New York Times Co. v. United States (1971). The title of the book is drawn from the dissenting opinion by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in United States v. Schwimmer, "If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other, it is the principle of free thought — not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate." Lewis warns the reader against the potential for government to utilize periods of fear and upheaval in society in order to suppress criticism and freedom of speech by members of the citizenry.