Is a hate crime different from other types of crime? What accounts for the rise in hate crime legislation? Is it right to impose limits on speech to avoid hate crime? Such questions guide the essays in this anthology, which seeks to broaden the reader's understanding of what a hate crime is and how we think about and act on hate crimes. Readers learn about the topic and the legal and social implications for how we treat free speech and perceptions of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Supports key Social Studies curriculum standards.