The ConsequencesThe survivors recieved overwhelming support from local and national groups of all faiths.
"One of the reasons the Nazis came to Skokie was because they believed that people who have Jews in their mist would be anti-Semetic and what Skokie proved was that just isn't the case."
-George Van Dusen, current mayor of Skokie |
“In 1977 the First Amendment was very much in flux. One of the things that was an outcome of the Skokie Nazi march controversy was the law became very clear after that.” -Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen "...Illinois enacted 'groundbreaking legislation,' the first state to mandate that the Holocaust be taught in public schools." In 1995, "the mandate was expanded to include other genocides." -Rick Hirschhaut "...the village of Skokie will stake its claim on history...as the place where the seeds of the Holocaust education movement in the United States were first planted in response to a neo-Nazi march." -Lisbeth Leviene |
Publicity For the NSPADespite all the media attention, however, the NSPA received little support. Within a year after the case was resolved, the NSPA disbanded.
Legal ConsequencesThe Skokie case showed how the most hateful, obnoxious speech must be tolerated in order to insure that all of our First Amendment rights are protected. If even one person's speech is limited, it allows the government to pick and choose who has access to the marketplace of ideas. When Frank Collin's speech entered the marketplace of ideas, it was thoroughly rejected by the American public.
"The outcome of the Skokie controversy was one of the truly great victories for the First Amendment in American history...because of our profound commitment to the principle of free expression even in the excrusingly painful circumstances of Skokie more than 30 years ago, we remain today the international symbol of free speech."
-Geoffrey Stone "The case became a lesson, that even today I believe people are learning that they have to tolerate the worst in our society because it’s an integral part of all of our freedom." -David Goldberger The Holocaust SurvivorsBefore the Skokie case, the survivors rarely talked about their experiences. The controversy made them realize that they needed to tell their stories, no matter how painful. They became a group that was dedicated to combating hate with education. Their efforts led to the creation of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and started the Holocaust education movement. Today, most states have mandated Holocaust education and there are now more than 25 Holocaust museums located throughout the United States.
"Barbara Steiner endured the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, three Nazi labor camps and the murder of almost all of her extended family...
...In 1984, a group of 20, including Mrs. Steiner, bought a 5,000-square-foot building next to a bar and created one of the first Holocaust museums in the country. In 1990, they persuaded the state of Illinois to mandate the nation's first Holocaust-education curriculum. Busloads of children began arriving for tours. By 2000, the group had outgrown their space. They approached J.B. Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, and asked him to lead a fund-raising effort for a new museum.... ...The $45 million project resulted in a 65,000-square-foot building -- the fourth-largest Holocaust museum in the country." -Douglas Belkin |