Making San Francisco American: Cultural Frontiers in the Urban West, 1846-1906 Book

As a writer I've long assumed that First Amendment rights were enshrined in the Constitution. However, after readying Christopher M. Finan's history I realized for the first time just how tenuous those rights are in U.S. history. It is truly amazing to read a book that attempts to compile in one place all of the efforts to restrain free speech and the free press. I was familiar with many if not most of the individual incidents but to have them covered at one time certainly leaves an impression that there has been a segment of U.S. society willing to muzzle this freedom based on real or imagined threats.
My only reservation about the book is the quasi political bent it takes toward the more recent censorship efforts. I had the impression the author was attempting to make a political point that certain parties are more prone to abandon the First Amendment of the Constitution. Perhaps this is true although the treatment in this book compromises the unbiased quality of the historical research.
Books such as this one are a reminder the Constitution is under constant threat and requires constant vigilance by all citizens.