Liberty's First Crisis: Adams, Jefferson, and the Misfits Who

Liberty's First Crisis: Adams, Jefferson, and the Misfits Who Saved Free Speech

â€œSlack engagingly reveals how the Federalist attack on the First Amendment almost brought down the RepublicÂ .Â .Â . An illuminating book of American history.â€ â€”Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Â
In 1798, with the United States in crisis, President John Adams and the Federalists in control of Congress passed an extreme piece of legislation that made criticism of the government and its leaders a crime punishable by heavy fines and jail time.
Â
From a loudmouth in a bar to a firebrand politician to Benjamin Franklinâ€™s own grandson, those victimized by the 1798 Sedition Act were as varied as the countryâ€™s citizenry. But Americans refused to let their freedoms be so easily dismissed: they penned fiery editorials, signed petitions, and raised â€œliberty poles,â€ while Vice President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison drew up the infamous Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, arguing that the Federalist government had gone one step too far. Libertyâ€™s First Crisis vividly unfolds these pivotal events in the early life of the republic, as the Founding Fathers struggled to define America off the page and preserve the freedoms they had fought so hard to create.
Â
â€œA powerful and engaging narrativeÂ .Â .Â . Slack brings one of Americaâ€™s defining crises back to vivid lifeÂ .Â .Â . This is a terrific piece of history.â€ â€”Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prizeâ€“winning author ofÂ Thomas Jefferson
Country USA
Manufacturer Atlantic Monthly Press
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-03-03
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Atlantic Monthly Press
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2015-03-03
Format	Kindle eBook

Liberty's First Crisis: Adams, Jefferson, and the Misfits Who Saved Free Speech

Customers who purchased this also purchased....