Synopses & Reviews
Freedom of speech, the right to voice one's opinions without fear of government reprisal, is one of America's most dearly held principleschampioned by the founding fathers, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, and exercised with passion and frequency by Americans of every persuasion. What happens, however, when a speaker publicly exhorts others to violent acts that threaten to cause injury or death? Can a line be drawn between speech that incites violence and that which does not, or is all speech protected under that Bill of Rights? Even Thomas Jefferson himself was silent on the subjectuntil now.
In Finding Jefferson, #1 New York Timesbestselling author Alan Dershowitz tells a remark-able story about how his passion for collecting led him to a discovery of tremendous historical and present-day importance. On September 8, 2006, in a dusty old Manhattan bookstore, he found an 1801 letter written by his hero Thomas Jefferson that speaks directly to the issue of intentionally harmful or dangerous speech.
Dershowitz, writing with the ardor of a collector, the energy of an advocate, and the rigor of a scholar, verifies the letter's authenticity, explains its importance within the context of Jefferson's writing, and, in true Dershowitzian style, takes his hero to task, point by opinionated point.
Finally, Dershowitz applies his extensive knowledge of Jefferson to the question of whether to restrict free speech in an age of terrorism and suicide bombings, when deterrence is rarely an option. Quoting freely from Jefferson's many writings on law, rights, and national survival, and citing his actions during the Aaron Burr treason trial, Dershowitz presents a compelling case that, today, Jefferson would probably opt for some narrow restrictions against speech intended to incite violence but would insist on protecting all other types of speech.
Engaging and passionately written, Finding Jefferson is compelling reading for anyone interested in free speech, American history, and the conflict between individual rights and national security in the face of terrorism.
"Alan Dershowitz lives and breathes history. The book is both a warm personal insight into Dershowitz, the grown-up whiz kid still fuming because his mother threw out his comic books and baseball cards, and a great lesson on democracy from one of its wisest and most articulate advocates."
Review
* Contemplating whether the government could censor imams whose preaching might incite terrorism, Harvard law professor Dershowitz (Blasphemy) wondered what Thomas Jefferson would say about ""where to draw the appropriate line, between dangerous speech and harmful conduct."" Dershowitz found an answer in New York's Argosy Bookstore, where he stumbled over a letter written by Jefferson on July 3, 1801, addressing the limits of free speech, especially religious and political speech. Based in part on his reading of Jefferson, Dershowitz concludes that we ought not to censor the speech of even the most violent religious leaders. Echoing Jefferson, he says that liberty is dangerous and adds that in any case censorship would not prevent either violence or incitement to it. This book is not without its annoyances: it opens with a self-indulgent tour through the many objects Dershowitz likes to collect, from baseball paraphernalia to the odd picture of Abraham Lincoln, and the bulk of Dershowitz's ruminations are cast in a long letter to Jefferson—a distracting device. These meditations from one of our most provocative constitutional scholars may not evoke as much controversy as have his earlier suggestions that there be warrants for interrogators to use torture in limited circumstances, but the main contribution here is the publication of Jefferson's letter. Photos. (Nov.) (Publishers Weekly, September 3, 2007)
Review
Contemplating whether the government could censor imams whose preaching might incite terrorism, Harvard law professor Dershowitz (Blasphemy) wondered what Thomas Jefferson would say about "where to draw the appropriate line, between dangerous speech and harmful conduct." Dershowitz found an answer in New York's Argosy Bookstore, where he stumbled over a letter written by Jefferson on July 3, 1801, addressing the limits of free speech, especially religious and political speech. Based in part on his reading of Jefferson, Dershowitz concludes that we ought not to censor the speech of even the most violent religious leaders. Echoing Jefferson, he says that liberty is dangerous and adds that in any case censorship would not prevent either violence or incitement to it. This book is not without its annoyances: it opens with a self-indulgent tour through the many objects Dershowitz likes to collect, from baseball paraphernalia to the odd picture of Abraham Lincoln, and the bulk of Dershowitz's ruminations are cast in a long letter to Jefferson—a distracting device. These meditations from one of our most provocative constitutional scholars may not evoke as much controversy as have his earlier suggestions that there be warrants for interrogators to use torture in limited circumstances, but the main contribution here is the publication of Jefferson's letter. Photos. (Nov.) (Publishers Weekly, September 3, 2007)
Review
"What a treasure this book is, just like the stuff Dershowitz scours the old archives for. It is unexpected, revealing and resonant with a central fact of our Republic -- we are still stitched together by words, and their complicated progeny, idea. From a simple, fortuitous discovery, Dershowitz has fashioned an elaborate and engaging argument, one we will be thinking about for ages."
--Ken Burns, director and producer of Thomas Jefferson
"Alan Dershowitz lives and breathes history. With the gleeful purchase of a relatively obscure letter from Jefferson, he time-travels back 200 years to write a reply to his hero that brings the debate over free speech from the imperfect past to the deeply troubled present. The book is both a warm personal insight into Dershowitz, the grown-up whiz kid still fuming because his mother threw out his comic books and baseball cards, and a great lesson on democracy from one of its wisest and most articulate advocates."
--Harold Ramis, film director, screenwriter, and actor
"The 1801 letter of Thomas Jefferson to Elijah Boardman is of tremendous interest and importance as is the remarkable story of its discovery by Alan Dershowitz."
--David McCullough, Pulitzer prize-winning author
"Finding Jefferson is terrific on every level - as a memoir of a passionate collector it is delightful; as an account of an important historical discovery it is riveting; as a defense of free speech it is brilliant."
--Doris Kearns Goodwin
"Alan Dershowitz found an important letter from his hero that relates to freedom of speech, incitement, and terrorism -- subjects about which Alan has thought and taught for decades. This book is a wonderful adventure story that uses Jefferson's arguments and Dershowitz's counters to illuminate issues that were important and difficult when the U.S. was a new nation and that remain so today. I recommend it to every citizen concerned with preserving our liberties and combating terrorism."
--President William Jefferson Clinton
Synopsis
Alan Dershowitz, the disinguished Harvard Law School professor and distinguished defender of individual liberties, is passionate about many things. Finding Jefferson is his story of the conjunction of three of those passions -- his love of collecting and his passion for Freedom of Speech and his hero, Thomas Jefferson.
Showing his personal side in a endearing way, he begins by telling us how his mania for collecting began in his early days in Brooklyn, collecting everything from Brooklyn Dodger autographs, baseball cards to comic books, stamps, coins, and bottle tops. A frequenter of flea markets and used bookstores, Alan Dershowitz found his personal Holy Grail at on old bookstore in New York when he came across an almost unknown letter from his hero Jefferson that illuminates his position about Freedom of Speech in a previously unknown way.
He continues by telling us about his passion for Freedom of Speech and Jefferson, explaining how the letter could have been written directly to him. He then engages Jefferson in a discussion of the points he makes in the letter and what position Jefferson would take today on freedom of speech in the context of the terrorism rife in our world today. Specifically he tackles the difficult and very timely subject of where the line between criminal incitement to terrorism and the right to freely express one's opinion lies. The discussion is current and enlightening, as only Alan Dershowitz can make it.
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling author and avid collector unearths a little-known letter by his hero, Thomas Jefferson, and shares its secrets
Alan Dershowitz, the distinguished Harvard Law School professor and tireless defender of civil liberties, is passionate about many things. Finding Jefferson is his intriguing personal story of three of those passions-collecting, freedom of speech, and his idol Thomas Jefferson-and how his discovery and purchase of an important letter that had been in the possession of the recipient's family for more than 200 years brought these passions together to illuminate a pressing current issue.
Writing in the same engaging and humorous style that made Chutzpah and The Best Defense such strong sellers, Dershowitz shares his joy of collecting, which started with Brooklyn Dodger autographs, comic books, and stamps in his childhood and continues with the art, antiquities, and rare books he collects today. Dershowitz found his personal Holy Grail at an old bookstore in New York, when he came across a forgotten letter by Thomas Jefferson. The letter illuminates Jefferson's views on freedom of speech in a previously unknown way that has important implications for the country today, particularly in the struggle against terrorism. This book is about the remarkable letter Dershowitz found, how he found it, and why it matters not only to him, but to us today.
Alan Dershowitz (Cambridge, MA), the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, is one of the country's foremost appellate lawyers and a distinguished defender of individual liberties. He appears frequently on television and has contributed articles to the New York Times and othernewspapers and magazines. His many book include the New York Times bestsellers The Case for Israel (0-471-67952-6) and Chutzpah (0-671-76089-0) as well as Blasphemy (0-470-08455-3), The Case for Peace (0-470-04585-X), The Best Defense (0-3945-0736-3), and Preemption: A Knife That Cuts Both Ways (0-393-06012-8).
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling author, Harvard Law School professor, and tireless defender of civil liberties unearths a little-known letter by his hero, Thomas Jefferson, and shares its secrets. The letter illuminates Jeffersons views on freedom of speech in a way that has important implications for the country today, particularly in the struggle against terrorism. This book is about the remarkable letter Dershowitz found, how he found it, and why it matters not only to him, but to us today.
Synopsis
"Alan Dershowitz found an important letter from his hero that relates to freedom of speech, incitement, and terrorismsubjects about which Alan has thought and taught for decades. This book is a wonderful adventure story that uses Jefferson's arguments and Dershowitz's counters to illuminate issues that were important and difficult when the U.S. was a new nation and that remain so today. I recommend it to every citizen concerned with preserving our liberties and combating terrorism."
President William Jefferson Clinton
"The 1801 letter of Thomas Jefferson to Elijah Boardman is of tremendous interest and importance, as is the remarkable story of its discovery by Alan Dershowitz."
David McCullough
Pulitzer Prizewinning author
"Finding Jefferson is terrific on every level: as a memoir of a passionate collector, it is delightful; as an account of an important historical discovery, it is riveting; as a defense of free speech, it is brilliant."
Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
"What a treasure this book is, just like the stuff Dershowitz scours the old archives for. It is unexpected, revealing and resonant with a central fact of our Republicwe are still stitched together by words, and their complicated progeny, ideas. From a simple, fortuitous discovery, Dershowitz has fashioned an elaborate and engaging argument, one we will be thinking about for ages."
Ken Burns, director and producer of The War and Thomas Jefferson
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling author, Harvard Law School professor, and tireless defender of civil liberties unearths a little-known letter by his hero, Thomas Jefferson, and shares its secrets. The letter illuminates Jefferson’s views on freedom of speech in a way that has important implications for the country today, particularly in the struggle against terrorism. This book is about the remarkable letter Dershowitz found, how he found it, and why it matters not only to him, but to us today.
About the Author
Harold Ramis, film director,screenwriter, and actor
ALAN DERSHOWITZ, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, is one of the country's foremost appellate lawyers and a distinguished defender of individual liberties. His many books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Chutzpah, Preemption: A Knife That Cuts Both Ways, and the Wiley books The Case for Israel, also a New York Times bestseller; The Case for Peace: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved; What Israel Means to Me; and Blasphemy. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Acknowledgments.
Part I: The Collector and His Passions.
Chapter I: My Passion for Collecting.
Chapter II: My Passions for Freedom of Speech, Criminal Law and Thomas Jefferson.
Part 2: The Letter.
Chapter III: Finding the Jefferson Letter.
Chapter IV: The Provenance of the Jefferson-Broadman Letter.
Part 3: My Letter to Jefferson.
Chapter V: Where we have come since 1826.
Chapter VI: Jefferson's First Argument: An Expressed Opinion Can Never Constitute An Overt Act.
Chapter VII: Jefferson's Second Argument: If Conscience Is the Umpire Then Each Judge's Conscience Will Govern.
Chapter VIII: Jefferson's Third Argument: "We Have Nothing To Fear From The Demoralizing Reasonings Of Some, If Others Are Left Free To Demonstrate Their Errors".
Chapter IX: Jefferson's Fourth Argument: "The law stands ready to punish the first criminal act produced by the false reasoning".
Chapter X: Jefferson's Fifth Argument.
Part 4: What Would Jefferson Say About Terrorism And Speech Today?
Chapter XI: Jefferson's Views On The "Terrorism" Of His Era.
Chapter XII: Jefferson's Actions in the Burr Case.
Chapter XIII: Jefferson's Views on Torture, Habeus Corpus and Other Issues Currently Debated in the Context of Terrorism.
Chapter XIV: How Would Jefferson Strike the Balance Between Freedom of Speech and Prevention of Terrorism?
Chapter XV: My View, as Influenced by Jefferson and the Experiences of Our Time.Notes.
Index.