Peter Charles Hoffer is distinguished research professor of history at the University of Georgia.
"This little-known story is written with authority and would be an
appropriate volume for students of history interested in press
freedom, courses relating to legal history, and law school
courses."--Journalism History"Hoffer closes with the warning that
'the liberties we cherish are not always proof against power and
partisanship' and the admonition that this 'lesson must be taught
to each generation of Americans, especially those who apply and
interpret our laws.' Surely, this book will help us accomplish that
task."--Law and Politics Book Review"The Alien and Sedition Acts,
passed during the presidency of John Adams, are both a well-known
and underexplored episode in US history. In this engaging book,
Hoffer fills in the details of the legislative debates over
limiting the "licentious" press of the founding era and explains
how the notorious new laws were applied by Federalist Party
officials against their political opponents. An impressive addition
to the invaluable 'Landmark Cases' series from the University Press
of Kansas, Hoffer's book makes a lively contribution to readers'
understanding of the roots of contemporary ideas about freedom of
the press."--Choice"Hoffer recounts bundles of history with
scholarly skill, summarily citing some 100 major primary and
secondary sources dating from 1777 to 2011. And he does all this
with nuanced conciseness as he parades the notables of the history
of American press freedom onto the stage of his very readable
narrative including the likes of Benjamin Bache, Andrew Hamilton,
Matthew Lyon, Albert Gallatin, Thomas Cooper, Thomas Jefferson, and
James Madison. It is quite an achievement, one that makes the book
particularly attractive for use in college classes and law-school
courses. . . . an extraordinary book."--First Amendment Center
"A terrific piece of work by one of our very best historians.
Written with verve and authority, it provides a masterful account
of a little-known story with powerful implications for the
subsequent history of free speech."--Peter S. Onuf, author of
Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationhood"A
fast-paced, brilliant, readable book that takes on one of the most
important problems in republican government: when is opposition
thought and dissenting rhetoric so dangerous that fundamental
liberties need to be surrendered to ensure the security of all?
Hoffer brings fresh insight to bear on this classic
dilemma."--Douglas Bradburn, author of The Citizenship Revolution:
Politics and the Making of the American Union
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