Episode 5: The Evolution of Free Speech

American Dissent

New York City, 1917. Americans get their music from player pianos. Plastic was just barely invented. And only about 25% of teenagers actually went to high school. But in a packed courtroom, a woman named Emma Goldman is on trial. We talk with a law professor who tells the story of 20th-century free speech, starting with Goldman. And we round out the series with a conversation about teaching dissent in schools.