Free Speech in the United States
Chafee, a law professor at Harvard University (1916 to 1956), was a leading advocate for the protection of Americans’ civil liberties, most prominently the freedom of speech. This work, first published in 1920 and revised in 1941, began with his opposition to censorship during World War I, which placed restrictions on journalism and anti-war sentiments among the public. Chafee was able to directly interact with members of the Supreme Court including Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and Louis D. Brandeis. These Justices would later interpret the First Amendment’s protection of speech being limited in cases where a “clear and present danger” is determined to exist. Chafee’s expertise on the topic of free speech resulted in his participation in the Commission on Freedom of the Press, whose report is also displayed here.
Zechariah Chafee (1885-1957).
Free Speech in the United States. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1954.
Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/140519
A version of this text has been digitized and is available through the Internet Archive.