America at 250: A History of Government Trying to Mute Free Speech
The First Amendment was ratified in 1791. Just seven years later, Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, making it a crime to criticize the federal government. Since then, nearly every generation has been told that “this” crisis—war, communism, terrorism, or COVID—justifies limiting speech “for the greater good.” The slogans change. The excuses evolve. But one lesson has remained remarkably consistent for 250 years: governments don’t usually attack free speech head-on—they simply find a reason why yours should be the exception.
