Research Catalog
The short life & curious death of free speech in America
- Title
- The short life & curious death of free speech in America / Ellis Cose.
- Author
- Cose, Ellis
- Publication
- New York, NY : Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2020]
- ©2020
Items in the Library & Off-site
Filter by
1 Item
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | Sc D 21-176 | Schomburg Center - Research & Reference |
Details
- Description
- 194 pages; 22 cm
- Summary
- "Free speech has long been one of American's most revered freedoms. Yet now, more than ever, free speech is reshaping America's social and political landscape even as it is coming under attack. Bestselling author and critically acclaimed journalist Ellis Cose wades into the debate to reveal how this Constitutional right has been coopted by the wealthy and politically corrupt. It is no coincidence that historically huge disparities in income have occurred at times when moneyed interests increasingly control political dialogue. Over the past four years, Donald Trump's accusations of "fake news," the free use of negative language against minority groups, "cancel culture," and blatant xenophobia have caused Americans to question how far First Amendment protections can--and should--go. Cose offers an eye-opening wholly original examination of the state of free speech in America today, litigating ideas that touch on every American's life. Social media meant to bring us closer, has become a widespread disseminator of false information keeping people of differing opinions and political parties at odds. The nation--and world--watches in shock as white nationalism rises, race and gender-based violence spreads, and voter suppression widens. The problem, Cose makes clear, is that ordinary individuals have virtually no voice at all. He looks at the danger of hyper-partisanship and how the discriminatory structures that determine representation in the Senate and the electoral college threaten the very concept of democracy. He argues that the safeguards built into the Constitution to protect free speech and democracy have instead become instruments of suppression by an unfairly empowered political minority. But we can take our rights back, he reminds us. Analyzing the experiences of other countries, weaving landmark court cases together with a critical look at contemporary applications, and invoking the lessons of history, including the Great Migration, Cose sheds much-needed light on this cornerstone of American culture and offers a clarion call for activism and change."--Amazon.com
- Alternative Title
- Short life and curious death of free speech in America
- Subject
- Contents
- Introduction: Defending hateful speech -- Liberating the First Amendment -- The root of all evil -- What you're seeing is not what's happening -- When words lead to violence -- What the founders never imagined -- Shaking up the Senate -- Flirting with tyranny -- Strident students and silenced voters -- Destroying democracy, defending speech -- Epilogue: A virus, partisanship, and truth.
- Call Number
- Sc D 21-176
- ISBN
- 9780062999719
- 0062999710
- OCLC
- 1194646317
- Author
- Cose, Ellis, author.
- Title
- The short life & curious death of free speech in America / Ellis Cose.
- Publisher
- New York, NY : Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2020]
- Copyright Date
- ©2020
- Edition
- First edition.
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Local Note
- Schomburg copy with dust jacket.
- Local Subject
- Black author.
- Research Call Number
- Sc D 21-176