Caryn E. Neumann is an associate teaching professor at Miami University Regionals. She earned a Ph.D. in U.S. women’s history from Ohio State University. Her publications include works on African American and Women’s History. Neumann is a certified interpretive guide and a book review editor for H-FedHist.
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Albert Gallatin
Albert Gallatin, best known as President Thomas Jefferson’s secretary of the Treasury, promoted civil liberties, including those found in the First Amendment.
Committee on Public Information
The Committee on Public Information was the first large-scale propaganda agency of the U.S. government and was viewed by some as stifling First Amendment-protected dissent.
David Rabban
David Rabban is known for his First Amendment work, especially a book that examined the legal interpretations of free speech during the "forgotten years" between 1870 to 1920.
Elijah Lovejoy
Newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy, killed in 1837 by a mob incensed by his anti-slavery views, is a martyr in the causes of abolitionism and First Amendment free speech.
First Amendment Center
The First Amendment Center seeks to protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education. It provides a forum for dialogue on First Amendment issues.
Larry Flynt
Larry Flynt, controversial publisher of Hustler magazine, often claimed First Amendment free speech protection when charged with obscenity and pornography.
Madalyn Murray O’Hair
Madalyn Murray O’Hair, an atheist, filed several lawsuits that dealt with First Amendment separation of church and state issues, including prayer in public schools.
Matthew Lyon
Matthew Lyon was the first person to be prosecuted under the Sedition Act of 1798. He challenged the Act on the grounds that it violated the First Amendment.
Paul Freund
Paul Abraham Freund, a law professor at Harvard University, played a critical part in the movement to better protect the individual liberties of the First Amendment.
Robert Sack
As an attorney, Robert Sack, now a judge on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, defended the press in libel and other cases relating to First Amendment freedoms.
Roger Williams
Prior to the First Amendment, Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, believed separation of church and state was necessary to maintain the integrity of the church.
Sunday Mail
Before the First Amendment was applied to the states, Christian Sabbath advocates attacked Sunday mail delivery, saying states should regulate their own religious affairs.