Federal Courts: Muhammad Ali and the Draft
The last of our series on famous federal court trials, US v Cassius Clay was a polarizing case about conscientious objection, protest, celebrity, and the unique line athletes are told to walk when it comes to political speech.
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (podtrac.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
This episode is the culmination of our series on famous federal court trials in US history.
In April of 1967, Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) refused to step forward at a draft induction ceremony in Texas. His opposition to serving in Vietnam launched a sequence of trials and appeals that went all the way to the Supreme Court. It's a case about conscientious objection, protest, America's shifting views of the war, and how athletes have the unique role of "soldiers without a weapon."
This episode features Winston Bowman from the Federal Judicial Center, and Jeffrey Sammons from the NYU History Department.
Support our show and our mission with a gift to Civics 101 today, it means the world to us.
- CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!
- To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
- Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices