The Importance Of Freedom Of Speech In The United States

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.

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

To be an American, it means that you can be whoever you want. It means that no matter where you come from, you can be who you want to be. It means to have freedom.

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.

Maybe not specifically with monitoring the things we say and express but with controlling what speech is permissible and not. For example, Ben Wizner the director of American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy & Technology project stated, “Would-be government censors have sought to prohibit speech hostile to gays and lesbians – and speech supportive of gay rights. They have sought to interfere with speech promoting religion – and speech attacking religion. They have barred anti-abortion protests near abortion clinics – and barred doctors from providing patients with information about legal abortion. They have prosecuted citizens for burning flags – and for displaying flags” (Wizner). The government always have and always will have the power to censor speech. The founder of American Civil Liberties Union Roger Baldwin also said, ““In order to defend the people you like, you have to defend the people you hate”

Freedom of speech is an essential right and freedom guaranteed to the citizens of the United States by the first amendment of the United States Constitution. The right to exercise this freedom, and to what extent, is a debate that has generated considerable discussion between governments, the press, and many international organizations such as WikiLeaks worldwide. In this current technological age of digital information and global social media, there is a growing need to maintain access to sensitive data and to control the release of classified information in relation to National Security, political and cultural affairs between the United States, NATO and NATO allies, and the protection of United States military personnel overseas.

As citizens of the United States, we have the right to freedom of speech, which is one of the most valuable rights a person has in the United States. This right allows people to speak their minds against unjust policies, and live in the country with an open mind without the fear of the government or being prosecuted. These rights have been exercised throughout history, and have made a positive impact in our country. However not every country is allowed to have free speech, which makes this a luxury for our citizens. Recently the questioning of whether there should be limits to the freedom of speech has risen, and many want restrictions against biased and racist remarks. I believe we should have the freedom of speech because it allows us to express our opinions on certain topics that we may not agree on.

A poll was done in 1991, where it was found only 33% of adults knew what the point of having the bill of rights was for. Also, only 19% of adults know that the first amendment includes freedom of religion. Out of how many of those people realize that our soldiers fight for these freedoms so we can continue to have a successful country? People today should know why soldiers go out to war and what they fight for. The government should uphold no cruel and unusual punishment, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion to honor soldiers who gave their “last full measure of devotion” and to ensure “these dead shall not have died in vain”.

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

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.

The problem is that people with power like to keep the public from speaking. The right to freedom of speech was declared in the United States hundreds of years ago. The majority of countries to not have this luxury. As a nation we need to stand up against those that try and silence voices. Everyone has a right to their own opinion. Concealing information is dangerous to the public. Those who witnessed the censoring of the atomic bombing would agree with this. Hiding things from people should not be something that any government should be proud of. If people do not stand up to fight tyranny then the world will be ruled by dictators. As humans with free will, we can not let this happen. We must stand up for those that do not have the right to speak

The freedom of speech is important for the people in the United States and it’s important around the world. Freedom of speech is the right to communicate one's opinions and ideas without the fear of the government retaliation or censorship. The Freedom of Speech is protected by the First Amendment in the United States of America. The Freedom of Speech is the ability to freely speak your mind

The dixie chicks the rise and fall they got bashed on they were getting death threats when they were only speaking their mind and thoughts about the president and that one comment sent them out the door of fame for a while. To my concern they made some remorse comments they should have never said that and i know everybody is going to come back with freedom of speech but that’s something else you should keep to yourself. I think they are in the wrong here just because if you didn’t like the president doesn’t mean you speak out on him and disrespect him that way and he’s from the state that you’re performing in and you still bash him there that is so rude and are using historical in order to be relevant and are so full of themselves so I think

Freedom of speech is a basic fundamental human right. Whether or not on a college campus, people (especially college students) should have the right to speak freely. Everyone does have the right to speak freely, because it is one of the twenty-seven amendments. Colleges all around the United States are now home to many restrictions on free speech. For example, the idea and use of “free speech zones” has made its way to colleges everywhere. A “free speech zone” is a sidewalk sized place where students are allowed to speak their minds freely on college campuses. I know what you’re thinking. This sounds ridiculous. Why are there specific places for people to speak their minds? Aren’t colleges suppose to be a place where students speak their

The first amendment gives the people the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition. It also reserves the right for the people to choose their own religion by not allowing an established religion. However, there are restrictions to these rights in the law. Such restrictions include obscenity, profanity, libel and slander, fighting words, and clear and present danger. These restrictions are in place to protect the people. One law that goes against freedom of speech is the clear and present danger doctrine. This doctrine allows the government to punish words that "produce a clear and present danger of a serious substantive evil that rises far above public inconvenience, annoyance, and unrest;" this means although the people can say speak freely they cannot say anything that will cause panic. However, there is also the void-for-overbreadth doctrine, that protects speech invalidating laws written so broadly that the fear of prosecution creates a chilling effect that discourages people from exercising that freedom. The first landmark court case that ended up limiting the first amendment is Schenck v. United States. In this landmark case, Schenck mailed out a two-page flyer telling draftees to standup against the draft encouraging insubordination in the military and charged with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act. The court's decision was that Congress has the power to prevent and restrict speech that prevents a clear and present danger. Thus, creating the clear and