Bound by Ink | The Debate of Loyalty Oaths in American Education
THE LOYALTY OATH
Since the emergence of the modern university after the Civil War, universities in the United States have experienced several waves of zealotry aimed at suppressing freedom of academic thought and speech.
During the 1950’s hysteria of McCarthyism, universities across the country imposed a requirement that employees sign oaths affirming loyalty to the state and a denial of membership or belief in organizations advocating the overthrow of the United States government. Our nations academics were forced to limit their teaching, defeating the foundation for critical thought. McCarthyism played out in universities as a two-stage process, where both government and the university carried responsibility.
SOLUTION
This book is meant to educate and inspire rational thought over sensationalism. I compiled letters and speeches from key figures on both sides of the loyalty oath debate to recount this turbulent time. Because this was such a polarized issue, those who opposed and those in favor of loyalty oaths are separated with a dos-à-dos binding.
During this time, University faculty feared losing their jobs and reputation. Anyone protesting loyalty oaths was subject to damning speculation. With this book as a media platform, the tables are turned. The rhetoric of fear and intimidation is physically suppressed by an embedded elastic. These speakers can only be read under constant pressure.
The book is designed as an elaborated timeline that leads to the ultimate repeal of loyalty oaths in American education. The debate between freedom and security will never find a definitive resolution, so I urge the reader to reflect on the danger of the lust to suppress others’ speech.
Hand bound at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (spring 2015)
Documentation photos by Alex Norton.
