BRATTLEBORO-An America 250 Town Hall will consider the "intellectual and imaginative muscles necessary for holding free-speech principles in a pluralist society."
The session, "What Does the First Amendment Ask of Us?" orchestrated by the Windham World Affairs Council, Brooks Memorial Library, and Vermont Independent Media/The Commons' Voices Live series, will take place in person at the library at 224 Main St. and will be livestreamd on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Meg Mott, a professor emerita who taught for many years at Marlboro College and who describes herself as a "Constitution wrangler," will moderate the gathering.
The right to protest is one of the people's most fundamental freedoms, but what about speech that veers toward lawlessness or social disorder?
During most of the 20th century, governments put speakers in jail for creating a "clear and present danger."
Under that rule, Indiana politician Eugene Debs went to prison for denouncing World War I, and author Charlotte Whitney went to jail for belonging to the Communist Party.
In 1969, the Supreme Court limited the rule, allowing only words that caused "immanent lawless action" to be suppressed.
Mott will lead a discussion that poses the question: When does the right to protest fall outside the protections of the First Amendment?
Participants will have a chance to explore this complex issue with their neighbors and in the company of the Constitution. The free event, part of an ongoing program that will lead up to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026, requires no registration.
To join the livestream, email Michelle Kantor at [email protected].
This News item was submitted to The Commons.