Despite longstanding traditions of tolerance, inclusion, and democracy in the United States, dissident citizens and social movements have experienced significant and sustained--although often subtle and difficult-to observe--suppression in this country. Using mechanism-based social-movement theory, this book explores a wide range of twentieth century episodes of contention, involving such groups as mid-century communists, the Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement, and the modern-day globalization movement.

Jules Boykoff is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. His research and writing appears in scholarly journals such as Global Environmental Change,Labor History, and Socialist Studies, and popular publications like Extra! and NACLA: Report on theAmericas.

1. Introduction 2. The Suppression of Dissent 3. State Modes of Suppression 4. Mass-Media-Related Suppression of Dissent 5. From Actions to Transactions: The Mechanisms of Suppression 6. Conclusion