Publisher's Synopsis
The First Amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The First Amendment to the Constitution allows us to believe and say what we want. But rights and the rule of law are fragile things, and the history, philosophy, argument and wrangling that it took to get to the First Amendment is a fascinating journey. From the classical period to Martin Luther to colonial America, this book investigates the background and evolution of the speech and religion clauses -- originally interdependent, but now separated in the Amendment's modern interpretation. Robert McWhirter employs a witty, light touch that manages to relate the arguments around the Amendment to its interpretation in popular culture and belies the deep scholarship and research that underpins the work. This lively account is written for the interested citizen, as well as the civics student, and there are surprising, and interesting, discursions into the way the events and personalities surrounding the First Amendment have appeared in literature, film, sports and popular culture. The book is part of a collection chronicling the origins, history, and interpretation, of the first ten Amendments to the Constitution - the Bill of Rights.
