The Importance Of Freedom Of Speech

There is a famous written saying that adheres to the attitude of every important figure throughout world history, “I disapprove of what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This statement allows all individuals to say and be who they wish to be in our society today (Hall, 1906, p. 199).

Free speech is a fundamental right to not only being American but being a human. Exchanging and defending principles, beliefs, and ideas have been existent since the beginning of mankind. We would not have made it this far if people did not have the freedom to speak what they wanted or needed to say. Philosophers and scientists, poets and writers, people such as Rousseau, Milton, Locke, Newton, Descartes, and numerous more might never have accomplished what they had or been recognized if not for the freedom of speech. Some of the most important examples of free speech that set in motion the foundation of America were the petitions from the colonists and finally the Declaration of Independence.

In today’s society, many people have a contradictory belief on the issue of freedom of speech. Never wishing it was taken away; but abused by the negative side of this right. People should have the right to speak their minds and not be prosecuted there after. Therefore, there should be no limitations placed upon the First Amendment to the United States Constitution’s legislature on freedom of speech. Gathering three evidential points that pertain to this topic and will be discussed throughout this essay, include: inalienable rights posed in the Bill of Rights, the development of individual personalities, and the advancement of peaceful, social changes.

In America, it is our right to free speech. As individuals, we value this right because it allows us to say our opinions, even if a majority of people disagree or are offended. However, I believe it should be different for big, influential groups of people. Those who represent organizations and institutions should have their free speech limited because if their opinions do not represent what that institute is for, it can cause feelings of distraught and anger among the people.

The right to free speech is deemed important in the lives of many people. This importance of the right to free speech does not only apply democratic countries such as the United States of America, but also for the people fighting to have their voices heard. There are many places within our world where people do not have the right to share their own voice and ideas. Throughout the world, people’s voices are oppressed and silenced simply because their ideas may differ from the rules of the powerful. Although a power may claim that their people are without a voice, many still stand up and make their voices heard to bring change to the lives of not only themselves, but also the lives of others. The use of speech has the power to unify and bring change throughout the world. The United States of America was built upon this need for change, seeking freedom from whom they believed oppressed them. This importance of the right to free speech is seen within the first American Amendment. The First Amendment protects “religion, speech, the press, assembly, and petition”. The First Amendment protects the American people, allowing for the expression of all ideas and opinions without the risk of being silenced. The right to free speech within the First Amendment “protects our liberty both to express and be exposed to ideas and opinions, especially unpopular one. It covers all forms of communication”. This protection of the free right of speech is what makes the United States and other countries like it special. People have the right and the opportunity to express their own ideas, even when they are unpopular. Through the freedom of speech, the American people have been given a power that not every person has. The American people have been given the power to invoke change in an imperfect world. Free speech has allowed the people to reshape the United States for both the better and the worse. The purpose of this research paper is to argue that the right to free speech has governed who gets to exercise American citizenship over time. The right to free speech has shaped the United States, influencing who has the right to exercise true American citizenship. A prime example of the power that free speech has had over shaping a

The First Amendment of the U.S. constitution states “Congress shall make no law [...] 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.” However, the right to freedom of speech has limits, including violence, inciting a riot, libel or slander and yelling fire in a theatre. At a private company, such as the NFL, there are even more limits to this freedom, depending on the organization’s terms and conditions and any contracts that must be signed by members.

As American citizens individuals are granted the right of speech through the first amendment. Living in a America allows people to express their thoughts beliefs, and opinions as a part of living in freedom. In America you are told you are equal to the next citizen whether it was your neighbor, colleague, or classmate. With belief in the government you are assured you are encountered to indispensable rights sheltered by law to assure your first amendment right cannot be seize. The government gives this mind setting of America being the land of the free to express your individuality and freedom of speech is given equally to everyone. But imagine this ; suddenly after a long day of work you turn on the world news and see people protesting or being criticized by the government because they are practicing their right to speak and it suddenly hits you that expressing your right can cause confusion in the nation .The first amendment of the freedom of speech differs in views of gender, religious, and race conversations which challenge every American opinion creating confusion.

When you hear someone referring to Freedom of Speech, what comes to your mind? How far should Freedom of Speech go for you or others? And when you see someone practicing Freedom of Speech, do you actually support it? In today’s society, some of us forget what Freedom of Speech actually is and how far it is actually extended.

Every citizen of the United States of America should be able to express one of their most important rights of an american for society's right to speech. The first amendment is one of the essential rights that americans have. The first Amendment is key the detail to the use of democracy and the respect of our human rights . This amendment describes the inalienable rights of the citizens of the United States. If American citizens are unable to criticize the government, it would be impossible to regulate order. When you read or hear about freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of press also comes to mind which are also very important for the United States democracy. According to the “Derechos, Human Rights”, freedom of speech is one of the most dangerous rights, because it means the freedom to express one's discontent with the status and request to change it (Freedom of speech 1). These types of rights are protected by many organizations such as ACLU and UNESCO. Both of these organizations working “daily in legislatures and communities to defend and preserve our individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in America” ( free speech 1). Freedom of speech is very valuable or at least it should be, because without this right the people wouldn’t be able to express themselves or say what they feel or want for a better life. United States is one of the countries that protect this right, but in the world there are governments that do not respect and do not know that this right even exists. Without the right of amendment one the united states would not be called a democracy because they both depend on each other.This is why Amendment 1 of the constitution is the most compelling for americans today.

Out of all the rights given to we Americans in the Bill of Rights, the first amendment includes the most cherished one: the freedom of speech. Freedom of speech gives citizens the right to express their own opinions publicly without government interference, violating laws, or inciting any kind of violence or rebellion. However, the first amendment does not mean anyone can simply say whatever they want. There are several topics that are strictly scrutinized by law and there are even some situations in which freedom of speech is lawfully restricted. Freedom of speech is an extremely important part of the constitution that we value highly, but there are obvious things that are allowed and not allowed that go with it.

Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, but when there is freedom of speech without limits or restrictions, there is no doubt that this will lead to disaster. People will surely benefit if we are able balance between freedom of speech and restrictions to ensure that society can communicate and prosper without anarchy.

Freedom of speech has become a miraculous problem throughout the world and it is time to draw the line. Neil Gaiman states,“Freedom of speech gives you the right to stay silent.” however; In the case cohen vs. california paul cohen a 19 year old male wore “f*** the draft. Stop the war” and was arrested for 30 days. In this case he was not wrong for doing so because of the fact he did not publicly offend anyone. John Milton, Areopagitica once quoted, “Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.” This quote is stating that no matter how you talk or what you talk about, you should be able to state your own opinion regardless of the situation. In the work this is when milton discusses the consequences that were given because of the emblem that was shown. This evidence shows that he obviously cares about the American people and their lives. I think that this evidence is important because this shows that influential people worry about where American society is heading. In connection to my thesis the outcome of the evidence shows that freedom of speech is relevant because there has been a variety of court cases that has negatively affected the world's population minds as a whole. Freedom of speech is something that is given to every person. No matter rich or poor, young or old, every person has different opinion and it’s their right to express it. The definition of Freedom of speech is that every person has the right to

When the average everyday American thinks of free speech, they usually misinterpret it as a way of saying whatever comes to mind. 37% of Americans don’t even know that freedom of speech is mandated under their first amendment rights or what freedom of speech involves. (Shepard). This 37 % of uneducated Americans not knowing the full definition of what freedom of speech is and its limits, can lead to heated controversy on what people can say because many people have different viewpoints. Such examples of these heated debates include verbal abuse, protesting and hate speech. These are some of the most heated topics in American society today mostly because people have different opinions on what freedom of speech means. Well what does the American right of freedom of speech constitute exactly as being ok to say? Some people believe that freedom of speech is ok in all forms regardless if it leads to the psychological or physical harms of others, while others believe that there is a limit to what can be said. Some people are also in between. You’re probably asking why you should even care about this as you may not, but this is something that’s very important that all of us can relate to because as Americans, we all get the right of freedom of speech. My personal opinion is that as long as no individual or group of people are physically hurt or targeted by a 2nd party compelled off of a another person’s point of view, than that persons ideology, regardless if it is backwards or legitimate, is protected under their right to freedom of speech. That doesn’t necessarily mean what they are saying is ok, or truthful for that matter, but it is protected by their 1st amendment rights even though many of us may hate what they are saying. This is my opinion and millions of people of many other versions of what they think freedom of speech is. This is one of the biggest problems in America because many people have different versions of what they believe can be said under freedom of speech. We will first discuss why this is such a big problem and some of the repercussions, next we will talk about the cause and how it’s been the root of other issues and finally, we will discuss how we can fix this problem

In 1787 our United States Constitution was created and signed. Since that day it has been

A controversial situation arose in mid August 2016 when Colin Kaepernick of the 49s refused to stand during the singing of the national anthem as a silent protest against police brutality and racial injustice in the US. This has prompted a national question: Is it ok to protest by kneeling during the National Anthem? Personally, I believe as a matter of freedom of speech and expression one should be able to show disapproval of governmental and societal actions in a way that is respectful, peaceful, and safe. I interviewed Geneva Sinkula, a freshman architecture major at the University of Nebraska who has been my best friend for years. Her family has several military ties and therefore they share strong opinions on this particular topic that they were willing to share.