Freedom Of Assembly (american Rights)

AMERICAN RIGHTS FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY STEPHEN F. ROHDE Dedicated to my wife Wendy, my children Dana, Evan, and Tessa, and my granddaughter Lexie. May they all live in a country that remains faithful to the Bill of Rights. j Freedom of Assembly Copyright © 2005 by Stephen F. Rohde Maps and graphs copyright © 2005 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 ISBN-10: 0-8160-5663-3 ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-5663-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rohde, Stephen F. Freedom of assembly / Stephen F. Rohde. p. cm.—(American rights) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-5663-3 (alk. paper) 1. Assembly, Right of—United States—History. I. Title. II. Series. KF4778.R64 2005 342.7308'54—dc22 2005000684 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Erika K. Arroyo Cover design by Pehrsson Design Maps and graphs by Dale Williams Printed in the United States of America VB FOF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Contents j Acknowledgments Introduction 1 2 3 vi vii Historical Origins of Freedom of Assembly 1 The Mayflower Compact Common Sense 4 7 Slavery and Suffrage 16 Slavery in the United States, 1860 Frederick Douglass Combinations Women Win the Right to Vote Prior to the Nineteenth Amendment, 1869–1919 17 19 23 The Labor Movement 29 Labor Day The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Norris–La Guardia and Wagner Acts Works Progress Administration Attitudes toward Labor Strikes, 1942–1947 Cesar Chavez 30 32 35 36 37 40 27 4 The Rights Revolution: The Ongoing Struggle for Civil and Women’s Rights Attitudes toward Integrated Education, 1955–1994 Civil Disobedience Freedom Rides Freedom Summer Gay Rights Movement States Ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, March 1972–1978 Attitudes toward Equal Rights Amendment, 1974–1992 5 World War I, World War II, and the Cold War Political Dissent and the FBI “Witch Hunts” Attitudes toward Communists Holding Government Jobs, 1947–1949 The Hollywood Ten Attitudes toward the Loyalty of Members of the Communist Party, 1946–1949 6 42 43 46 47 50 54 56 57 59 61 70 72 73 76 Wars in Vietnam and Iraq 80 Public Activism, 1960s and 1970s Beliefs as to the Degree of Communist Involvement in Vietnam War Protests and Civil Rights Protests, 1965 Kent State The Environmental Movement Skokie and the ACLU “Ban the Bomb!” Attitudes toward Protests during the Gulf War, January 1991 81 82 83 86 89 90 92 Attitudes on the Right to Protest, 2001 Attitudes toward Protest, January and March 2003 Controversy Over Police Actions at RNC Protests 7 101 105 108 The Internet Community and the Future of Freedom of Assembly, Association, and Petition 110 The Rule of 75 Percent Meetup.com 112 115 Glossary 125 Chronology 135 Appendix: Excerpts from Documents Relating to Assembly, Association, and Petition 143 Further Reading 153