How can we rebuild a culture of free expression?
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, free speech and press freedom face unprecedented threats from campus censorship, social media content moderation, and government pressure campaigns. From college students afraid to voice opinions in class to journalists facing investigations, the First Amendment foundations of American democracy are under multiple threats in ways the Founders never imagined.
Stuart N. Brotman is Professor of Media Management and Law and Beaman Professor of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
“It was intended to be amended” A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepore is a 2025 book about the origins and theories of constitutional law. She argues that the framers intended it to be a living document, not a static one (as “originalists” believe). Also, amending the constitution should be easier in order to reduce the risk of political violence and judicial overreach.
Jill Lepore is an historian and journalist. She is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and a staff writer at The New Yorker.
