Cantwell family

E73639

The Cantwell family were Jehovah’s Witnesses whose door-to-door religious solicitation in New Haven, Connecticut led to the landmark 1940 U.S. Supreme Court case Cantwell v. Connecticut, which expanded First Amendment protections for religious freedom and free speech.


Statements (31)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Jehovah's Witnesses family
family
activity distribution of religious literature
door-to-door proselytizing
associatedWithRight free exercise of religion
freedom of expression
freedom of religion
freedom of speech
countryOfCitizenship United States
hasMember Jesse Cantwell
Newton Cantwell
Russell Cantwell
historicalContext early 20th-century Jehovah's Witnesses litigation in the United States
impactOnLaw limited state licensing schemes for religious solicitation
strengthened constitutional protection for religious proselytizing
legalCase Cantwell v. Connecticut
legalSignificance contributed to incorporation of First Amendment freedoms against the states
expanded First Amendment protections for free speech
expanded First Amendment protections for religious freedom
locationOfActivity New Haven, Connecticut
memberOf Jehovah's Witnesses
notableFor door-to-door religious solicitation in New Haven, Connecticut
involvement in the U.S. Supreme Court case Cantwell v. Connecticut
opposedBy New Haven, Connecticut authorities
reasonForArrest inciting a breach of the peace
soliciting without a license
religiousAffiliation Jehovah's Witnesses
religiousPractice public preaching
roleInCourtCase petitioners in Cantwell v. Connecticut
timePeriod 1930s
1940

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Cantwell v. Connecticut
petitioner

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