"From the 1798 Sedition Act to the war on terror, numerous presidents, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and local officials have endorsed the silencing of free expression. While efforts by governmental leaders to quiet their citizens seem inconsistent with the vital connection between democracy and free speech, this important book shows a recurring pattern in which two rival traditions in American culture - suppression of speech and dissent as a form of speech - interact. The result is an unparalleled overview of the law, history, and politics of individual rights in the United States."--BOOK JACKET.