Inquisition v. City of Charlotte was a landmark First Amendment Supreme Court decision.
The Inquisition was an underground newspaper produced by East Mecklenburg High School students and their various contributors bi-monthly in Charlotte, North Carolina from April 1968 to late 1969.
Background[edit]
 Cover of volume II issue 3 of Inquisition (1969) | |
| Format | Magazine-style |
|---|---|
| School | East Mecklenburg High School |
| Founder(s) | Lee Douglas, Hanson Dunbar, Lynwood Sawyer, Russell Schwarz, and Tom Wilkinson |
| Launched | April 1968 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | 1969 |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| OCLC number | 1644632 |
The Inquisition was an underground newspaper produced by high school students—mostly attending East Mecklenburg High School—and their various friends bi-monthly in Charlotte, North Carolina from April 1968 to late 1969. Inquisition was the first Underground Press Syndicate member from the U.S. South[citation needed] and a member of Liberation News Service. Copies of Inquisition can be found in 15 university libraries.[1]
After a first issue of only 81, the magazine went to 450 then doubled again by the third issue.[2] By its final issues, the newspaper inspired emotional rejections by parents and became an underground icon for teens.[3]
Inquisition reporters are rumored to have taped one of Jimi Hendrix's last concerts for issue #3.[4]
Superior Court case[edit]
The paper was the subject of a landmark First Amendment case, "Inquisition vs City of Charlotte", pitting freedom of the press against a city zoning ordinance from March - May, 1969.[5][6][7] The case, which was partially decided by placing the sound of the paper's small printer against the sound of a power mower, was found in favor of Inquisition.[8][9]
Revisiting[edit]
Inquisition was revisited by way of an interview with two founders, Russell Schwarz and Lynwood Sawyer, with scholar Suzanne Sink and host Michael Collins on WFAE's Charlotte Talks on November 10, 2010, and rebroadcast on January 16, 2012.[10][11]
Inquisition's story was featured in a retrospective on the year 1968 in Charlotte Magazine September 2013.[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Inquisition. OCLC 1644632. Retrieved December 23, 2015 – via WorldCat.
- ^ Dayberry, Don (August 26, 1968). "A Newspaper Inquisition". Charlotte Observer. p. 10A.
- ^ "Mother's Afraid of 'Inquisition'". Charlotte Observer. April 9, 1969.
- ^ "May 09th, 1969". Jimi Hendrix Encyclopedia. Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
- ^ Sink, Suzanne Parenti (October 2011). "Fueling the Southern Underground Movement: Inquisition v. The City of Charlotte". Studies in American Culture. 34 (1): 129. 76115600. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
- ^ Taylor, Nick (March 28, 1969). "Embattled 'Inquisition' Gets Timely Assist from Judge". The Charlotte News.
- ^ Taylor, Nick (April 21, 1969). "'Inquisition' Case Lacks Precedents: Historic Ruling Ahead?". The Charlotte News. p. 20B.
- ^ Taylor, Nick (April 11, 1969). "Inquisition Zone OK, Youths Told: Editors Testify at Hearing". The Charlotte News. p. 1C.
- ^ Taylor, Nick (May 12, 1968). "Judge Gives Ruling: 'Inquisition' Press Can Start Rolling". The Charlotte News. pp. 1A, 4A.
- ^ "The "Inquisition"". WFAE. November 10, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
- ^ "The Inquisition Magazine (Rebroadcast)". WFAE. January 16, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
- ^ McShane, Chuck (August 16, 2013). "The Past: 1968". Charlotte Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
External links[edit]
- Dunbar, Hanson. High School Organizing Has Its Faults: Former Underground Editor. Page 7. Daily Tar Heel. October 3, 1969.
- Holding in the North Carolina Collection at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
- Encyclopedia of Journalism By D. Charles Whitney, Christopher H. Sterling "Alternative and Underground Newspapers" Volume 1, Page 81.
- The Inquisition - Charlotte Talks. WFAE Radio. Recorded interview by Mike Collins with Inquisition editors Russell Schwarz and Lynwood Sawyer and researcher Suzanne Sink. November 10, 2010. Link includes audio, images of the paper, Sink's research paper on the zoning case and references to the Jimi Hendrix recordings.
- Sink, Suzanne. Fueling the Southern underground Movement, mss 434, Special Collections, J. Murrey Atkins Library, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Southern Underground Press: The Project to Archive and Rebuild the Communities of The Southern Underground Press (website)