Freedom Of Speech Limitations

According to “Freedom of Speech” by Gerald Leinwand, Abraham Lincoln once asked, “Must a government, of necessity, be too strong for the liberties of its people, or too weak to maintain its own existence (7)?” This question is particularly appropriate when considering what is perhaps the most sacred of all our Constitutionally guaranteed rights, freedom of expression. Lincoln knew well the potential dangers of expression, having steered the Union through the bitterly divisive Civil War, but he held the Constitution dear enough to protect its promises whenever possible (8).

     The first and inargueably the most significant of the amendments to our Constitution is the First Amendment. The amendment that established our freedoms as citizens of our new confederation. The First Amendment insured, among other things, freedom of speech and of the press. Since the establishment of these rights, they have often been in question. People have debated over, "What is too much freedom?", and "When is this

A very popular constitutional issue in America is the First Amendment. The First Amendment is meant to protect, but in today’s society it is being questioned that the argument is being overly used. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference (Esmaili). Freedom of religion created the separation of church and state. It prohibits the government from interfering with a person's practice of their religion. The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without government interference or regulation. The right of freedom of expression gives the right to assemble and gather for peaceful and lawful purposes. It was adopted into the Bill of Rights in 1791. The Court later interpreted the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as protecting the rights in the First Amendment from interference by state governments. Putting this is layman’s term, you can pretty much say what you want without being penalized.

The First Amendment one that is watered down, serves as example of the freedom we as Americans have. It is best known as the amendment that lets us say what we want when we want. There is more to it that gets overlooked. It blocks government from establishing a theocracy, grants the people the right to peacefully assemble and protest the government for a redress of grievances. Our press is independent and is given freedom to publish at will. Our freedoms embolden us to speak out and organize for progress and against society's wrongs. Sometimes groups will organize to speak out but will sink to extreme measures as a means of expression. The first amendment has seen challenges in recent months. “Donald Trump referred to the press, and I'm quoting his exact words, as "dishonest, disgusting, and scum."Just ten days ago, you might have heard in a press conference, President Donald Trump said that the "press is out of control."(Chemerinsky, 553). To clashes between different ideologies on college campuses with some initiating riots. The first amendment grants many freedoms, however it does not grant protection from consequence.

So the need for more drastic, shock and awe type actions from people desiring to be heard on any particular matter has been brought to the forefront. This is where the Bill of Rights has drastically come into play. At this point the Supreme Court has to protect the freedoms without stripping Americans of their rights entirely but it also has to protect Americans from those who wish to do harm to others under the protection of freedom of speech or expression. Not only does the First Amendment provide for freedom of speech but also freedom of expression which is as equally controversial. By examining the First Amendment and the protections and exclusions it has provided over the years through three highly controversial cases, it will allow the reader some insight into the difficulties surrounding the protection of free speech. The cases that are to be examined are Snyder v. Phelps, Morse v. Frederick and Texas v. Johnson. All of these cases present a different freedom of speech or expression issue that was brought to the Supreme Court and therefore, set a standard for future rulings regarding that particular issue.

In the United States Constitution, the First Amendment states that “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 petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (Gold). Historically, as demonstrated in cases such as Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the government in general, has well-upheld this amendment, but starting sometime in the second half of the 20th century, they are slowly embracing it less and less, as demonstrated in cases such as Texas v. Johnson. The recent hostility towards the First Amendment demonstrates that its rights

he First Amendment protects rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. It’s most basic component is freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Which gives freedom of speech to press to express themselves without government interference or regulation (Hawkins, 2012). Moreover, when we’re censoring ourselves we are willingly giving away our right to free speech. In today’s fast-paced world with so many social media sites and internet. It is very easy and common for someone or media to write or post an article about someone else’s private life.

The first amendment protects all US citizens right to practice religion, to speak freely, to assemble (mainly for protesting), and freedom of the press. I believe there are a lot of advantages in the practice of religion. America is very diverse so everyone believes in their own god/religion. Now every American does get the power to say whatever they want but sometimes there will be consequences to what you say. I think they should probably add a little warning that some stuff you say will get you in trouble but then again, its common sense not to say anything stupid that will get you in trouble with the law. In the first amendment, the government does allow you to protest but only in a peacefully way if the protesting party starts acting violent police will arrest and do what they have to do to end the violence. Freedom of the press just means that the news is allowed to broadcast anything even if its negative against the government. I agree with the first amendment and feel nothing needs to be fixed it’s fair and equal for everyone.

Countless Americans today don’t appreciate our nations bill of rights that our founding fathers included into our nation's constitution protects our own rights. Of all the 10 amendments in the bill of rights the 1st amendment protects our personal rights the most. The first amendment established the right for all Americans to have the freedom of religion, speech, and the press. This amendment essentially forbids the government from restricting an citizen from its own free exercise of religion, impeding one's right of freedom of speech, and to restrict the freedoms of the press. In this essay I will talk about why this amendment is so important to American citizens rights.

The first amendment ensures the general population's flexibility of press, religion, discourse, and gathering. Particularly freedom in the USA truly matters to individuals and this amendment is fundamental to them. Individuals can say what they think openly and they can express their emotions. Moreover, they have the privilege to realize what's occurring in the nation and the administration should not control the data from the media.

The First Amendment states Congress will have no right to prohibit or create laws against free speech, press, or religion. This documents in written word that all forms of speech and press are legal in the United States. Therefore,

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words ring true in the vast majority of the population of America. According to Associated Press-National Constitution Center Poll, which was featured on the Washington Post, stated that “70 percent of all Americans believe that freedom of speech should mean that people should have the right to say what they believe in, even if they take positions that seem deeply offensive to most people.” Based on the supporting evidence from the AP-National Constitution Center Poll, the majority of Americans are agreeing with the idea of freedom of speech. They are confident that we as Americans deserve to speak on what we strongly believe in, regardless of the highly offensive words that most people seem to be repulsive to. Many Americans have also realized that

Freedom of speech is an important inalienable right that many people and institutions try to limit in modern society. In which I think nowadays freedom of speech is being limited because of lack of people willing to listen to others, who have different political views. Where I find it disappointed that we, as Americans, are unwilling to hear each other's opinions whether you be Liberal, Independent or a conservative. Therefore, stopping the conversation before it even happens. In addition, with universities implementing new speech codes on their campuses is limiting their students freedom of speech. Therefore, I do not agree with colleges limiting freedom of speech, with them prohibiting certain kinds of speech on campus. Whoever this “hateful”

As always, there are those individuals that oppose the power to censor. There are members of society that believe in the freedom to speak publicly and to publish. This is a basic belief in the freedom of expression and is to be protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. On the eve of the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights, the first wave of a nationwide survey, comprising more than 1500 citizens was conducted. Through this survey it was found that American rate free speech as their second most precious First Amendment right and regard a free press highly in the abstract. Although there are strong cases made for and against censorship, the rising trend calling for censorship can threaten our basic rights to free expression and the right to be informed. At the center of the debate is the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees our right to read, speak, write, and communicate freely. The government at the state or federal level cannot

Freedom of speech should have some limitations. The American people should have the right to say whatever they want, but to an extent. Whether it is on signs or verbally some things should not be expressed. The United States is well known for being “the home of the free,” but some people take their freedom a bit too far. People can burn flags, protest at military funerals, even use the “n” word and watching pornography in libraries.