The study reviews the performance of the juries in many of the major trials of the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's that have involved issues of individual liberty, the right of dissent, and other issues related to First Amendment civil liberties. The trials analyzed were selected on the basis of their importance as attested to by experts in law, by the attention they received in the media, and by the objective consequences of the verdicts. Each jury's verdict is examined within the context of the nature of the offenses with which the defendants are charged; the social, economic, and political characteristics of the defendants; the extent and tone of the media coverage; the prevailing political mood of the country; the judicial decisions in bench trials of a comparable type heard during the same period; and whether the jury's verdict was upheld on appeal. In none of the periods examined is there any evidence or suggestion of the jury's lack of independence, failure to understand the issues or complexities of the problems involved, or incompetence in performing duties. The lack of consistency speaks well for the jury system, since each decision should be based upon the issues unique to the case being decided. In almost every trial, the jury performed lengthy deliberation. On the basis of posttrial interviews, the juries apparently reviewed the evidence, the instructions, and the arguments presented by the attorneys. When the jury voted to acquit, in no instance did the prosecution attack the integrity of the decision. Eleven notes and 17 references are listed.