Freedom of speech is a right that Americans hold dear, but what of the freedom not to speak - the right to remain silent when commanded by Church and State, the right not to sign an oath, not to salute a flag, not to assert a belief in God, or not to reveal one's political beliefs and associations? Should, for instance, a special prosecutor be able to compel a parent to testify about, and incriminate, his or her own child? This book traces the history of the freedom not to speak from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and the House Committee on Un-American Activities. It addresses the Civil War and Reconstruction loyalty oaths by Union Confederate soldiers, and the expulsion of Jehovah's Witnesses from schools for refusing to salute the flag, and includes an analysis of coerced speech in a variety of literary works. The author also considers the future of this right to silence, and argues for the importance of a specifically labelled and firmly established freedom not to speak.
