Priests of Our Democracy tells of the teachers and professors who battled the anti-communist witch hunt of the 1950s. It traces the political fortunes of academic freedom beginning in the late 19th century, both on campus and in the courts. Combining political and legal history with wrenching personal stories, the book details how the anti-communist excesses of the 1950s inspired the Supreme Court to recognize the vital role of teachers and professors in American democracy. The crushing of dissent in the 1950s impoverished political discourse in ways that are still being felt, and First Amendment academic freedom, a product of that period, is in peril today. In compelling terms, this book shows why the issue should matter to everyone. "Marjorie Heins, a civil liberties lawyer and founder of the Free Expression Policy Project, tracks the collision of politics, academic freedom, free speech, and the Constitution in this dense, well-researched study . . . . This compelling study demonstrates that precedent does not guarantee indefinite protection, and every generation must fight for its freedoms." ― Publishers Weekly "What is & academic freedom, and why should it deserve special protection? These questions underpin Heinss history of the efforts to police the politics of schoolteachers and university professors. As the title suggests, Heins endorses Justice Felix Frankfurters assertion that teachers are & priests of Americas democracy, requiring exceptional freedoms to exchange ideas because of their special responsibility to foster & those habits of open-mindedness and critical inquiry which alone make for responsible citizens. The book shows how this assertion, and the body of case law underpinning it, emerged in the mid-twentieth century in response to efforts by anticommunists to control the classroom. It examines lawyers, activists, and individual citizens who challenged the establishment." ― Journal of American Studies "The tension between national security and individual freedoms remains today. Heins presents a fascinating perspective on how these tensions became influential in debates over academic freedom, while offering a somewhat scathing review of the high courts ability to truly lead. Heins reminds the reader that the court more often follows societal trends than pushes towards progress." ― H-Net "Priests of Our Democracy is a smart, well-crafted insightful book by an especially qualified author." -- Michael Steven Smith ― Against the Current "Priests of Our Democracyis rich with detailed accounts of the many ways teachers and professors have struggled to define their rights of political expression, not only in the McCarthy era but also before and since. Heins shows that academic freedom is multidimensional, and its meanings are profoundly affected by cultural and political conditions. It is a narrative that encourages us to believe that substantial progress has been made..." -- Richard Flacks ― The Journal of Higher Education "[A] masterpiece of legal journalism... attention-grabbing and compelling." -- Alan Wald ― Society for U.S. Intellectual History blog "[Hein's] exhaustive research and meticulous analysis of Supreme Court decisions is an important addition to the growing literature on anti-Communism repression of this period....The significance of her book lies in her careful unraveling of the court's rulings on issues of academic freedom, most of them postwar Red Scare cases...This is an important and valuable book for anyone interested in the Constitutional dimension of the anti-Communism that marred the history of the mid-twentieth century U.S....Marjorie Heins has done a remarkable job." -- Steve Leberstein ― Working USA "An excellent history of how the law has dealt with academic McCarthyism Anyone with a stake in education [should read this book] for not only is it a good read about an important subject, but Heins tells a cautionary tale of an extensive and durable problem of which they are probably unaware." -- Professor Andrew Feffer ― History News Network "Combining the legal insights of a constitutional scholar with the archival diligence of an historian, Marjorie Heins has written the definitive study of the Supreme Courts most important academic freedom decision. Its an engrossing account of the assault on educators during the McCarthy era that should be required reading for anyone who values our increasingly endangered First Amendment rights." -- Ellen Schrecker,Professor of History, Yeshiva University "Fact-filled, balanced, and yet thought-provoking I recommend this book to students, scholars, and citizens who care about academic freedom and about the fate of public discourse in America. I also recommend Priests of Our Democracy to those who worry that the war against terror has become in part a war against civil rights and civil liberties at home." -- Jonah Raskin ― Truthout "Heins has done a more than admirable job of explaining the history of acad