Hate Speech: The History of an American Controversy

by Samuel E. Walker

The First Amendment protects even the most offensive forms of racial slurs, hateful religious propaganda, and cross-burning. No other county in the world offers the same kind of protection to offensive speech. How did this free speech tradition develop? Hate Speech provides the first comprehensive account of the history of the hate speech controversy in the United States. Samuel Walker examines the issue, from the conflicts over the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and American Nazi groups in the 1930s, tot he famous Skokie episode in 1977-78, and the campus culture wars of the 1990s. The author argues that the civil rights movement played a central role in developing this country's strong free speech tradition. The courts were very concerned about protecting the provocative and even offensive forms of expression by civil rights forces. Civil rights groups, therefore, preferred to protect rather than restrict offensive speech—even if it meant protecting racist speech.

Genres: History

227 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

About the author

Samuel Walker is Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, where he taught for 31 years before retiring in 2005. He is the author of 13 books on policing, criminal justice history and policy, and civil liberties. His current research involves police accountability, focusing primarily on citizen oversight of the police and police Early Intervention Systems (EIS). Originally trained as a historian, he is completing a book on U.S. presidents and civil liberties. His personal website, with information on police accountability is: http: //samuelwalker.net.

Reviews

[Tina Jafari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice overview although with a few inaccuracies.

[Christoph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, thorough law history of hate speech and the First Amendment in the US. Most compelling is his argument that free speech - even free hate speech - is so dominant in the US because it has the better advocates (especially the ACLU.)

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I’m not one for reading dry history books. However, this one is not dry and boring rather it’s an argumentative essay by the author on why hate speech has become so protected in the U.S. I enjoyed this book because the author clearly picks a side and states that it was a choice that the U.S. courts and civil rights groups made to support the first amendment. I did not know this and I am glad that this book had provided me with this knowledge and context. I wish I would of taken a course on first amendment and read this book as part of a course, but nevertheless I was personally edified to learn the development of the first amendment in the U.S. It invigorated in me sense of patriotism to protect ALL speech regardless of content. I agreed with one of the sentiments expressed in the book “hate speech is the price we pay for freedom in a democracy”.