Some rights increase, some decrease over time. A good example. 90 years ago motion pictures weren't afforded 1st amendment protection in the US (Supreme Court ruled so). As a result the Hayes production code came into in which severely limited expression in films; one such example being "sexy dances" could not be shown in movies. There were dozens of other such restrictions.
Other examples include woman's suffrage which didn't exist until 1920 and Black (male) suffrage in 1870. Jim Crow laws existed until the mid 1960s in many states. Or just compare the themes and language of 1960s television with today's show.
Is the specific example given at the beginning of this thread a deterioration in rights compared to the Red Scare and McCarthyism? Is there any equivalent today to FDR's executive order 9066?
