First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare

First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare

Hollywood screenwriter Samuel Ornitz speaks before the House Un-American Activities Committee in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 1947. UPI/Bettmann Archive via Getty ImagesAs the United States faces increasing incidents of book banning and threats of governmental intervention – as seen in the temporary suspension of TV host Jimmy Kimmel – the common reflex for many who want to safeguard free expression is to turn to the First Amendment and its fre…

First Amendment in flux: When free speech protections came up against the Red Scare

Hollywood screenwriter Samuel Ornitz speaks before the House Un-American Activities Committee in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 1947. UPI/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images As the United States faces increasing incidents of book banning and threats of governmental intervention – as seen in the temporary suspension of TV host Jimmy Kimmel – the common reflex for many who want to safeguard free expression is to turn to the First Amendment and its fr…