In the 18 thirties, a lot of abolitionist movements in the north start petitioning people in the south. While it responds by adopting probably the most daconian laws and anti free speech laws in american history. There was an attempt to basically have a federal law that would prohibit the circulation of abolitionisttracts throughout the south. Butthen, but that that didn't and i think, again, one of the reasons for that was a culture of free speech. And this is also where frederick douglas comes into the picture, because i think in 18 60, he is about to give a speech in boston at an abolitionist meeting. And then you
Hailed as the “first freedom,” free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and it is subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the retreat.
In this episode, based on the book Free Speech, Michael Shermer and Jacob Mchangama discuss the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of the principle, how much we have gained from it, and how much we stand to lose without it. Mchangama reveals how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech, too, is a constant.