Essay On Burning The American Flag

Whether burning or bedazzling it, we use the flag as a means of symbolic speech. There is no question that there has been an increase in displaying the flag

Obviously flag burning is a fire hazard that can have a very harmful outcome to the environment and all of its surroundings. Another argument that is stated in the E.M.S.A. says “Many materials in clothing can burn” (E.M.S.A). “Consider

Currently in the US, burning the flag is legal, as per the Supreme Court Case Texas v Johnson. In their ruling, the Supreme Court stated that burning the flag was an exercise of the first amendment right to freedom of speech, and therefore could not be banned. This caused much controversy, and several attempts were made by the President and Congress to ban flag during, however, each attempt was overruled by the Supreme Court. Supporters of flag burning say it is a form of expression, and therefore shouldn 't be banned as it doesn 't bring harm or threaten harm to anyone. This that disagree say that since the Flag represents America and its ideals, burning it is a direct attack on all our country holds sacred. Despite the controversy, and attempts to outlaw it, burning the flag is still legal today throughout the country.

On August 22, 1984, Gregory Lee Johnson was arrested for setting the U.S. flag on fire. His simple act of protest led to the Supreme Court ruling that flag burning is protected under the First Amendment as free speech, thus overturning his conviction. The flag symbolizes freedom, and part of that freedom is being able to express dissatisfaction with the government. However, some see flag burning not merely as a demonstration of opinion, but as an attack on national unity and American values. Should it be illegal to burn the U.S. flag as an form of protest, or is this method within the rights of American citizens?

Loewy, A. (1989). The Flag-Burning Case: Freedom of Speech When We Need It Most. www.usflag.org/pledgeofallegiance.html

Protesters have burned the flag in many protests to say that “America is going down in flames” according to one college student during a protest on the D.C. college campus (Kopan). It has been a method used since the vietnam war for protesters to say what they need to say. It has been an issue that congress has been working on for years to resolve on whether or not flag burning should be banned or not. Many say it should and I agree but legally they can not bane it because it is a form of speech and to do so would mean going against the constitution which would lead to many more protests (Svrluga).

The flag is a symbol of “national unity” and burning it is destruction of that symbol. Even if the flag that is being destroyed is owned privately, the government should be able to regulate the protection due to what the flag stands for. The First Amendment recognizes symbolic speech but an exception should be made for the flag. Not only does it stand for what the United States believes, it honors those who have died defending this country. Flag burning is extremely offensive. It ignites strong feelings and in some cases violence. There must be a line drawn that prohibits the burning of the flag and does not consider it symbolic

It should be considered safer to allow a few protestors to burn or disrespect the flag, than to allow the government to repress our birth rights by banning desecration of the flag. Deemed offensive by many citizens, and a form of symbolic speech by others, the constitutionality of flag desecration has been in question since the late 1800s. Desecration of the United States flag is constitutional, as a form of symbolic speech and protected under the First Amendment, even though many citizens do find it offensive.

“The US flag is a symbol of great pride” (Hills 2016). Ethan D. Hill from the University of Georgia states this, just as all Americans should know this. The American flag is a representation for the strength and power of this country and all that it has gone through. With that being said, not everyone sees the American flag in this way. Some take it upon themselves to show firsthand disrespect to the flag in desecrating it. Desecration is the act of burning something, in this case it is burning the flag that symbolizes the freedom of this great nation. It is obvious to most that this act should be illegal, seeing as there is no reason good enough to hurt the country in this way; however, some Americans believe otherwise.

Flag burning has been so talked about because, many people believe that burning the flag is an act of criminal injustice, and can be offensive to Americans. In relation to the American flag, burning can be a sign of dishonor among our fellow veterans. There has been an account of laws that were supposed to be passed, but were reject due to actions of Amendment one of the constitution. Amendment one of the constitution give people the right to freedom of speech, and prohibits the making of any law abridging it (U.S Constitution. Amendment I). It all goes back to the breakdown stated in Article V on how amendments should and shouldn’t be passed. Since two thirds majority of each house did not agree on passing a flag burning amendment, that became added to the list of failed amendments. This shows the difficulty in being able to get laws passed through the

Some people have burned the American flag in order to express their sentiments about the government’s actions. Various people believe that these types of actions where the

Burning the American flag could be considered very disrespectful to most people. However, according to Amendment 1, we have the right to express ourselves. People who burn flags should not be fined or jailed because it's part of our freedom of speech, it causes no harm to others, and it's just a symbolization of America.

Burning the flag can be considered a crime. The U.S. Flag code states that “ Any person mutilating, defacing, physically defiling, maintaining on the floor or trampling upon any flag of the United States can be given a fine or serve one year in prison for harming the flag. While the Flag Code

In the burning of the flag some people may be offended and this may cause a riot or large disagreement between two or more groups. Also in the story it says that, The American flag is a cherished symbol of our national aspirations.” It is the closest object to a national

Not just because it flagrantly insults the concept of liberty that true patriotism embraces, but also because his focus threatens to turn standing for the national anthem into a partisan act.” (Zorn). Trump has turned the protest into a major issue because he says it is unpatriotic, but it is a vast form of patriotism. The athletes are protesting because they do not like how America is, but some cannot get over the “disrespect” to the flag. In “National anthem protests are about racism, not patriotism,” Scanlon states, “For them, America has not been well. For them, the flag stands for institutionalized racism and the obstacles they face for something as arbitrary as the color of their skin. Colin Kaepernick, the player who began the movement last year, even decided to take a knee instead of sitting after a conversation with a veteran last year. There is nothing more these players could have done to make it clear that kneeling is a way for them to bring light to issues and generate a discussion, not show disrespect for the military” (Scanlon). The athletes kneel to make a major statement and brings light to racism. Although some (including the president) find the protest disrespectful, the athletes are making a large patriotic statement. The athletes use patriotism in a form of freedom of speech for how institutional racism is still active in the U.S.