We the People Eric Foner on Our Fragile Freedoms
Nov 20, 2025
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner dives into the contentious history of free speech and civil liberties in America. He highlights the Alien and Sedition Acts as a cautionary tale for today's challenges. Foner shares personal stories of his family's blacklisting and the lessons on courage this inspired. He discusses the evolving role of the Supreme Court in upholding free speech, the struggles of abolitionists against censorship, and the vital importance of civic engagement in protecting democratic values.
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Free Speech Is Fragile And Contested
- Free speech in America has always been contested and requires constant vigilance to preserve.
- Eric Foner warns that recent events show surprising silence from many political leaders in defending speech rights.
Private Power Can Silence Voices
- Non-governmental actors often limit speech through job loss, blacklists, or media consolidation.
- Foner highlights civil rights-era reprisals and the Hollywood blacklist as prime historical examples.
Family Impacted By McCarthy-Era Blacklists
- Eric Foner recounts his family's experience with blacklisting in 1940s–50s New York.
- His father lost his CUNY job and his mother was pressured to resign from teaching due to anti-communist purges.
