Revered by Americans across the political spectrum, Barbara Jordan was 'the most outspoken moral voice of the American political system,' in the words of former President Bill Clinton, who awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. Throughout her career as a Texas senator, U.S. congresswoman, and distinguished professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, Barbara Jordan lived by a simple creed: 'Ethical behavior means being honest, telling the truth, and doing what you said you were going to do.' Her strong stand for ethics in government, civil liberties, and democratic values still provides a standard around which the nation can unite in the twenty-first century. This volume brings together several major political speeches that articulate Barbara Jordan's most deeply held values. They include: 'Erosion of Civil Liberties,' a commencement address delivered at Howard University on May 12, 1974, in which Jordan warned that 'tyranny in America is possible' 'The
