The New Deal's War on the Bill of Rights

“This book is not mere history; it is an exposé. You won't know which is more shocking: the lengths to which FDR and New Dealers like Senators (and future Supreme Court justices) Hugo Black and Sherman Minton went to suppress freedom of speech, privacy, and civil rights; or the degree to which these efforts have been concealed by pro-FDR and New Deal propagandists. While the repressive measures taken by FDR and his New Dealers against their political opponents resemble tactics favored by progressives today, Beito shows that the ‘good old days’ were in some respects even worse. But he also usefully reminds us that resistance to these measures was bipartisan. This is a story that all Americans should know--especially anyone who is headed to college or law school. I will be strongly recommending it to the students in my class on constitutional rights and liberties.” - Randy E. Barnett, Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law, Georgetown University Law Center; faculty director, Georgetown Center for the Constitution “All historians who have written about Franklin Roosevelt need to read David Beito’s book and, in almost all cases, revise what they said. The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights illuminates Roosevelt’s desire for power and his efforts to punish those who tried to thwart him.” - Burt Folsom, professor of history emeritus, Hillsdale College; author of New Deal or Raw Deal? “For all his accomplishments, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had little tolerance for critics and not much respect for the Bill of Rights. David T. Beito’s useful survey of the partially unknown dark side of the New Deal reveals the surprising variety of repressive measures that FDR and his supporters employed--not always successfully--to quash those who opposed his administration. It’s a sobering story that reminds us of how precarious our civil liberties have always been.” - Ellen Schrecker, professor emerita, Yeshiva University; author of Many Are the Crimes: McCarthyism in America “This book is exhaustively researched and often insightful, and it has some timeless historical lessons for Americans who value civil liberties and privacy. Beito reveals a dark side of the FDR administration that historians have generally ignored.” - David Boaz, distinguished senior fellow, Cato Institute; author of The Libertarian Mind “In this important book, David Beito shines new light on the civil liberties record of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Beyond the internment of Japanese Americans, Beito skillfully documents how FDR undermined free speech through extensive state censorship and surveillance. This well-written book not only clarifies the historical record, but also offers crucial insights into the foundations of contemporary government activities which continue to threaten the civil liberties of Americans. Anyone interested in civil liberties and government overreach should read this book!” - Christopher Coyne, professor of economics, George Mason University “Long a critic of FDR, I was nonetheless stunned and riveted by what David Beito reveals in this book. That an American president would so callously shred the Bill of Rights is a damning indictment--not just of FDR, but of his enablers in the media and academia who covered it all up for decades. Hereafter, no assessment of the 32nd president can be honest or thorough without factoring in Beito’s indispensable contribution to the history of the office.” - Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus, Foundation for Economic Education “In an age when Americans are critically re-examining our history, New Deal abuses of power and authority are still downplayed and ignored by historians enamored with FDR and the rise of an activist federal government. David Beito’s well-written, well-documented book brings those abuses to light, showing that the rise of federal power in the 1930s was accompanied by massive violations of Americans’ civil liberties.” - David E. Bernstein, University Professor, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University “This is a tour de force capturing the all-encompassing threat Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal posed to American freedoms. Beito opens our eyes to the wiretapping of political enemies, seizure of private telegrams, violation of tax return privacy, congressional witch hunts, a purge of conservative radio spokesmen, the internment of Japanese Americans, and much more. In eerie parallels to the Left’s current obsession with banishing ‘disinformation,’ New Dealers also sought to criminalize ‘false news.’ You will not view FDR and the New Deal in the same way after finishing this important work.” - Jonathan Bean, professor of history, Southern Illinois University; author of Race and Liberty in America: The Essential Reader “You wouldn’t guess it from the soaring rhetoric of his Four Freedoms speech, but Franklin Roosevelt has a rotten record on civil liberties. David Beito’s illuminating book explores the censorship, the spying, and the internment camps of the FDR years, as well as the uncomfortable intersection between the New Deal and Jim Crow.” - Jesse Walker, books editor, Reason; author of Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America and The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory