"A Revolutionary Idea: The Birth of Freedom of Speech in America"

Stephen D. Solomon is the Marjorie Deane Professor of Journalism at New York University. His latest book, "Revolutionary Dissent: How the Founding Generation Created the Freedom of Speech," explores how the raucous political protest of the nation’s founding period gave meaning to our freedoms of speech and press at a time when it was a crime to criticize public officials. Solomon is at work on a book that will tell the story of the birth of the Bill of Rights. He teaches First Amendment law and is the founding editor of NYU’s website, FirstAmendmentWatch.org, which provides news, commentary, and legal and historical background on today’s many conflicts over freedom of expression. Solomon earned his bachelor's degree from Penn State and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.