Incorporating nearly 40 documents relating to First Amendment rights in America, this work traces the efforts to establish the freedoms on which the country was founded.

A rich and engaging exploration of the documents that illustrate the origins and development of First Amendment freedoms in American history. Each document is introduced by a historical essay and reproduced in facsimile. Incorporating nearly 40 documents and spanning more than 300 years, First Freedoms is essential for students of American history.