Course Details

We will examine four major instances in which the constitutional rights of Americans were substantially restricted in times of crisis: the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 during the quasi-war with France; the suspension of habeas corpus and other civil liberties in the Civil War; the wide suppression of dissent during World War I; and the detention of Japanese living in the western United States in World War II. Why did these events happen? Were these presidential, congressional, and judicial decisions justified? How should we strike a balance between our civil liberties and our security? We will use the book War and Liberty by Geoffrey Stone. Participants should read the preface and chapter one before the first session.