Showing results by author "Zechariah Chafee Jr." in All Categories

What happens when the law promises liberty—but delivers injustice? In this incisive essay from *Civilization in the United States*, renowned Harvard law professor and civil-liberties advocate Zechariah Chafee, Jr. examines the widening divide between America’s democratic ideals and the legal...

Censorship, entailing the banning of books works on the stage and film, and public speeches, is not new. During the late 1920s in Boston, Massachusetts, it reached a fever pitch. Book banning was prominent but officials in the city also managed to stifle free artistic expression in theatrical productions, and the right to express ideas in a public forum. The bans were often carried out under the law by religious groups, the serving Mayor of Boston, and even the local police.