Freedom Of Speech In America

Like most democratic nations in the world, the United States has had its own fair share of issues with hate speech. There has been a lot of controversy over whether hate speech should be regulated. In analyzing the concept of free speech, one cannot ignore that it does not occur in a vacuum. There have been all types of debasements ranging from ethnic, religious, racial and gendered stereotyping. Freedom of speech inherently includes all other fundamental human rights. Hence, as acknowledged through natural rights, other rights and personhood should adamantly be included within this scope of this protection. Hate speech is a limit on free speech, as it not only puts the victim under deliberate psychological and physical harm, but also

In an ever changing society, it is common to see new policies and laws popping up left and right, but unbeknownst to many, there is an agenda being pushed by those in power to sway the American people through new practices. As a result, the freedoms granted to every American are threatened in an attempt to control the population. Control is the power to influence other people’s thinking and the power to pacify those who voice opposition. In America, the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and the press, is currently being targeted and undermined through recent laws and societal practices in an attempt to control the population. It is important for the people to recognize and stand against this, or else, we all risk losing our

Australia is one of the countries with the free speech concept implicated in its constitution as because there is no such case where constitutional protection is provisioned . In the United States we can see a wider constitutional protection regarding the freedom of speech whilst in Australia it is quite different. The libel actions have got a significant role in the matters of public affairs as being the regular arsenal of political combat in Australia . As indicated by the laws in Australia the power of parliament has also got limitation regarding the free speech in some specified places which has been found out by the research made . The offensive behaviour in public is also prohibited according to the Summary Offensive Act Section 6 .The

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, such as on "hate speech".

The founding fathers proposed a constitution for the foundation of The United States of America in 1787; however, it included a minute amount of individual rights to the people. This caused a strong divide between two parties, known as the federalists and anti-federalists, the anti-federalists insisted that a bill of rights be added to guarantee basic rights for the citizens of the new country. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution on December 15, 1971 and is composed of ten amendments. One of the most significant fundamental rights can be found in the first amendment of the Constitution, the freedom of speech. The freedom of speech promises that the people of The United States can express beliefs and ideas without unwarranted government restriction. However, when people question the validity of others actions, they often challenge the first amendment. These challenges to the first amendment are often times reviewed in the judicial system and over time aid in the development of the limitations of free speech for the entire country (Webster). Although the boundaries of the freedom of speech may alter, The Bill of Rights protects the existence of our essential freedom.

Freedom of speech is known to be the essence of America's democratic principles, which has created doubts and chaos inside the country leading to further limitations. Congress has seen themselves in the midst of internal war as protest have come down to violence and further offenses/ harm the first amendment has rejected such awful forms of expressions placing a fence to one of the civil rights granted by the United States. Although the first amendment stands as part of the democratic ideals granting the people in the United States freedom of expression, the government should appropriately limited this basic civil right, with the attempts of preventing violence, or unlawful methods of terrorism restricting.

Imagine yourself as an Oxford University student in the twentieth century, being at one of the most prestigious and highly recognized research intuitions in the world. This puts enormous pressure on the university itself to uphold a positive image. Students at Oxford University are being silenced on issues regarding politics, the war on terror, gender equality, and many other social issues around the world. What if students want to express their opinions in a public manner? They should be aloud to do so without the worry of having any negative repercussions from the media or the University itself. Platforming is restricting the free speech of the students as well as their basic rights and freedoms. I believe students should not have a platform to speak because arguments could be misrepresented from the platform it self, as well no-platforming fails to give students their right to free speech.

The First Amendment of the Constitution states that everyone has the freedom of religion, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, freedom of petition, and freedom of speech, but you already know this because it is the most famous amendment of the people. This is the reason I am baffled by this situation. It seems that when it comes to businesses these freedoms are rights of the people are just thrown out the window and never thought of.

Many players of the NFL have decided to kneel during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality. According to usatoday.com Colin Kaepernick being one of the first to start the potest in 2016 said “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people, and people of color.” Kaepernick and the other players who decided to kneel or hook arms during the National Anthem are expressing their freedom of speech and expression like the first amendment says they have the right to do. The NFL players have the right to kneel in protest during the National Anthem because they have the right of freedom of speech, they aren't breaking any rules, therefore they shouldn't be fired, and they also have freedom of Assembly and Right to Petition the Government, which means they have the right to protest. Also there was a supreme court ruling that said that public schools don’t have to salute the flag or recite the pledge of allegiance if it goes against their beliefs, so their shouldn't be a difference if it's an NFL player and the National Anthem.Whether or not the NFL has the right to kneel during the National Anthem has been a huge debate. According to the first amendment they have the right to do so. The first amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to

Recently, there has been debate over whether freedom of speech on public universities and college campuses should be allowed. Many universities have adopted speech codes on campuses. A speech code is defined as any rule or regulation that limits, restricts, or bans speech beyond the strict legal limitations upon freedom of speech or press found in the legal definitions of harassment, slander, libel, and fighting words. Now, the definition of ‘freedom of speech’ is to have the right to express ANY opinions without censorship or restraint. It is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Still, despite this ‘human right’, college students are being denied to freely speak on college campuses. Students should be able to speak freely on public universities regardless if what they are saying is offensive.

In 2016, history took a turning point in sports when NFL players began bringing forth awareness on sensitive issues in this country. This initiative was sparked by “Colin Kaepernick” that has created controversy within the football league by kneeling to the National Anthem. His silent gesture protests against the social injustice surrounding police brutality of minorities. Kaepernick once said “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.” (Washington Post, 2016). This topic has taken the nation by storm on all platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To some people, the kneeling by the players is said to be disrespect to our flag, our veterans, and for those who died for our freedom of speech.

Although it is often described as a natural right, freedom of speech in America is constantly subject to limitations that systematically deprive citizens of this liberty. In the context of religion, the right to free speech becomes especially contentious and conditional. There is no more obvious evidence of this in modern society than in the treatment of Muslim Americans and refugees. While other religions in America are granted the privilege of being able to practice their religion and their speech with far less restrictions, due to lack of education about Islam and a cult of paranoia that grows within society Muslims in America are being denied their right to free speech. Evidence of this trend can be seen in the cases of Hassan v City of New York, Raza v City of New York, as well as the cases of Hamid Hayat and his father Umar. In each case the religious identification of Muslim participants led to the denial of freedom of speech and exercise of religion. Violence is not inherent in Islam and is not responsible for how Muslims are treated in the US. Rather, the Muslim disadvantage is a consequence of misinterpretations of the religion and a culture of fear that intensified following the events of 9/11. Since most Americans and court officials lack essential knowledge and understanding of Islam, it is easier to indict a Muslim on charges of conspiracy and terrorism based off phrases and practices that an American court does not understand. Even worse, fear has led to

Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration. (Usconstitution.net., 2017)

The protesting started after the police brutalities and was moving with the black lives movement. The protest is trying to show that Kaepernick isn’t going to do something for a flag that oppresses black people or people of color. Standing during the national anthem at school or at the ball park, I never did it. I have almost felt as those words “And the land of the free and the home of the brave” don’t support the society that were living in today. I feel as though not standing for the American flag or the national anthem shouldn’t be the reason someone is jobless, I honestly believe everyone has their first amendment and that’s freedom of speech and this is what Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49er’s protested on.

The founding fathers embarked on a drastic life change because the English government was over steeping their boundaries. Once they had established their new world the founding fathers realized that we would need to create rules that our government had to abide by. This documentation is known as The Constitution, when writing the Constitution, the most important and difficult to understand amendment was the first. Freedom of speech is a very difficult freedom to understand, people must first realize what is given to them under the first amendment. Then it is imperative to understand where another American’s rights begin. If every American understood where these boundaries lie our nation would be in a better situation. Instead, people’s actions are aligned with believing Americans have a freedom to say what they believe until their statements do not align with what these individual’s beliefs. The phrase that I have always been taught is, “Your rights end where my nose begins.”