The Importance Of Freedom Of Expression In The United States

Kaepernick and many others who have refused to stand for the anthem have caused divides among their teams, fans, and across the country. When NFL players don’t stand during the national anthem, fans get

The first amendment gives U.S. individuals five fundamental rights (also known as the freedom of expression):

I am writing this letter with concern to two of the amendments written on the US constitution.

As an American citizen and a late bloomer to the political arena in the United States, I find myself arriving in an disheartening and frightening environment. Where I have suddenly awoken in a dis-utopian world of money, power and greed, where the rich elites of the population has all the power to speak up. Where money has become more out-spoken and heard than actual dialog, while the majority of the population remains silenced through underfunded attempts to express their views. Giving money the potency of free speech enables only the people with a financial mouth to resonate loud enough to be heard. Presidents, Senators, Legislators and House of Representative members are involved in the process of making policies and laws, who are

On Decemeber 15, 1791, the First Amendment was passed along with 9 other amendements in the "Bill of Rights." The purpose of these amendments were to address the concerns of the Anti-Federalists that the "U.S. Constitution" did not protect the citizens from the government infringing on their rights. The Freedom of Speech is defined as the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint and has been at the center of many heated cases in the United States and across the world.

A lot of controversy has been going back and forth due to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem, and other players that have not participated in the national anthem. I believe that everyone who is part of this nation should stand during the national anthem.

Freedom of speech is one of the foundations that our founding fathers upon to make the great country we live in. Some people think that we need more limitations on this freedom then we already have or completely remove it (“Should Freedom of Speech be Restricted on College Campuses?”), but in reality that is not the truth. The truth is that we need to protect this right because there are people who have died trying to obtain and protect this right and every other right that we have in America, and to destroy it would be a waste of their sacrifice.

All the time, people are heard protesting about “Free Speech”, and “The First Amendment”. What rights are really protected under the First Amendment according to our Constitution? The answer may be shocking. In the United States of America, the concept of free speech is widely called upon to reinforce the legality of offensive spoken words or actions. In reality, not all speech is protected under the First Amendment. Sure, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but where is the line between what opinions are acceptable to be spoken of in public, and what is inappropriate or too offensive. The true answer lies in the definition of the word public. While government run agencies such as public universities have little they can do about what students say, private colleges have virtually no requirements by law.

People in our society do not really have a say in what goes on in our community. “Unlike our colleagues, they had little trouble distinguishing corporations from human beings, and when they constitutionalized the right to free speech in the First Amendment, it was the free speech of individual Americans that they had in mind (Stevens, 115-116).” Society is manipulated into thinking the way government officials want voters to think. The society being those who work in government jobs are limited in what can be discussed amongst the world. This limit takes away workers and the community freedom of speech.

The United States of America was founded on the principle of freedom, free speech being

I believe free speech in America is slowing depleting even though the first amendment of

Established in the Constitution, written in 1787, the Constitution guaranteed the citizens of the United States the rights of freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly in the First Amendment etched in the Bill of Rights. Throughout history, many Americans have experienced restrictions of freedom of speech during the United States earliest years as a country. John Adams, the second president of the United States, established the Alien and Sedition Act, which impeded upon Free Speech by restricting citizens from criticizing the government and president of their actions. Therefore, through the 1st Amendment, citizens should remain protected of their liberties in every aspect until they confiscate others of their liberties, and it should protect hate speech unless an individual’s liberties are in danger or under threat. The Supreme Court should define hate speech as threats that present another individual in obvious peril.

Freedom of Speech is one of the most important factors of our Constitution. In my opinion, one of the most defining points, what makes our country, our country. For example, without freedom of speech, we wouldn’t be able to read so many opinions on important matters and would be forced to think one thing even if we believed it was false. During the Vietnam War, people were put in jail for refusing to go to war, like Muhammad Ali. It was people’s freedom of speech to not welcome the soldiers back, their individual right to not support the war. But, they still had consequences for their actions, even if it was their right. Martin Luther, Malcolm X, JFK, and many others used their individual rights, their freedom of speech, to protest for equal

As people of the United States, since we were first formed, we have stood up and put our hands over our hearts for those who have lost their lives for our country, but as time has passed, some of us have stopped standing and or putting our hands over our hearts and holding up fists instead. Is this such a bad thing to do? We as people are required to do the same thing and live the American dream. Every. Single. Day. Ever since preschool or kindergarten, we are supposed to stand up, say the pledge and do it with our hand over our heart. There have been some issues with students sitting down or holding up a fist at the side of them, this is seen as a problem, but as always, there are two sides to everything.

Free speech and expression are unalienable rights which cannot be taken away under any circumstances due to its origins. As an amendment in the United States Constitution, it gives the people to power to speak freely without worry of consequence or punishment from the government. This right is one of many that makes America a democratic nation, and so appealing to others who are denied these fundamental rights. However, there are instances where individuals abuse this right, by encouraging violence or hate to the point where people take action, and due to this, their right to free speech should be limited.