The Importance Of Freedom Of Speech

The freedom to talk, the freedom to dance, the freedom to express one’s feelings are what’s most important. In Amendment One, of the Bill of Rights, the American right and freedom that which deserves celebration is Freedom of Speech -- giving each American citizen an equal opportunity to express his or her opinions about any topic. Our Founding Fathers insured that the new American government would not restrict their ability to express their thoughts or ability to criticize the actions of their government without censorship; because, they truly understood what life was like living under a government, where they had no voice and laws were enacted prohibiting their freedoms. Freedom of Speech however costly led to a more successful America. It allowed people to speak out against injustices. It allowed people to become more diverse by hearing other people’s opinions about different topics. People in America felt pride and value this right because, at the end of the day, they felt as if the government truly cared somewhat about their well-being and state of life. It provided the right for candidates to criticize the current government and

As American citizens we are blessed with rights that many other countries are yet to afford; of those, one of the most influential and powerful is arguably the right to freedom of speech. Its gravity is compounded when one thinks of the many American soldiers who have sacrificed their lives fighting to protect this. The limits of freedom of speech have come into question recently with the rise of the Alternative Right, Nazis, the KKK, and White Supremacists, with some cases turning lethal as witnessed in Charlottesville, North Carolina. Though the importance of having freedom of speech is very evident, the question arises of how far do individual rights extend before infringing on the rights of others. Many argue on how political correctness does more harm than good and is an obstacle in the way of intellectual debate, though this argument has no merit. Many universities and colleges are implementing hate speech codes, which are limits on certain words from being used on campuses. Rules such as hate speech codes are a step in the right direction to counteract much of the verbal expression of racism that takes place on campus.

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.

Free speech in my mind, should be universally protected, except when that speech turns into hate against any particular minority and incites violence that is not needed for the safety of the public at large. Freedom of speech serves to be a fundamental democratic right that affords every citizen to participate in the United States constitutional democracy. It is a vital tool because it can be used by every person, rich, poor, black or white, to voice their concerns and rejections of the federal or state government in hopes to bring about change. Change comes in many forms, from allowing women to vote, to providing African Americans the equal status to their white counterparts. In addition, the 1st amendment allows for the free exchange of

America's first amendment which consists of the rights that Americans have and one of those rights being Freedom of speech. Today, many Americans are taking advantage of that right and the poster children taking advantage are the NFL players. They are kneeling during the national anthem and are claiming it's because of racial issues. Americans are saying otherwise and consider the act to be disrespectful to those who fought for the rights of Americans Citizens. People on the defensive side of the spectrum are saying that it's an act of freedom of speech. Americans should stand during the national anthem because it's disrespectful not and it's a slap in the face to those who fought for their fellow Americans freedoms.

In large, freedom of speech is protected in the first amendment, and in several court cases it has been upheld that hate speech is also protected. So, a person can essentially say whatever they wish, if someone gets offended that is their problem, some argue this is one of the reasons why America is so great. Although, there are some exceptions to this amendment when public schools are involved. In this case it was a public university the students were attending, and the posters were on campus grounds, so these exceptions to the Amendment apply.

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.

Freedom of speech is a right protected by the First Amendment. According to the administrative office of the United States Courts (n.d.), the First Amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law... abridging freedom of speech.” Freedom of speech is arguably one of the most cherished American values in the First Amendment. As defined by an online unabridged Dictionary (n.d.), The rights covered by freedom of speech include the right to express opinions publicly without governmental interference. You are wrong when you say that we should shut down news outlets when they broadcast information that you do not like because freedom of speech applies to news outlets.

I have waited for about 4 months for this time of year, Football season. Football is back but not without its debate over players standing for the pregame national anthem to the grievance the ethnic inequalities in America. Even though my appreciation for this country with its faults. America’s favorite past time sports football shouldn’t be a platform to promote the injustice of African Americans. I selected this topic for I believe in the first amendment, Freedom of speech. In the First Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or to petition for a governmental redress of grievances. (constitutioncenter.org, 2017)

In the USA people are allowed the right to express their opinion openly without the risk of backlash from others who are offended by it. Freedom of speech is a very important privilege that our founding father felt should be instilled in the government to promote democracy. Being able to express one’s own opinions and concerns openly without the risk of being executed or put in prison by the king, was an important part of their political view. This was a major concern that was very important for the founding fathers, and for that reason it was the first concern that was addressed when they were creating the laws of this new government. This in theory, would assist and allow the people of the USA to have a voice in running its’ own government. The first amendment allows freedom of speech to its people and welcomes open discussion on handling government issues. Though freedom of speech is important to allow self-expression, sometimes freedom of speech in relation to personal issues can cause conflict and opposing views between individuals. Some may use or even abuse the privilege of the first amendment to make offensive comments that affect others in a negative way. In this essay I will be presenting an example of a court case of Morse v. Frederick that test the boundaries of free speech, and how examples from this case effect both sides of the argument, and in addition

On 1787, the future founding fathers of an ever so influential nation united to write upon a paper the most fundamental document to ever exist that serves as the basis for the entire system of the United States. The United States Constitution, with all of its posterity that ordains a strong union within its members, contains twenty-seven amendments that ensure the basic rights and principles that drive the nation. The first ten of these amendments form what is known to be as the Bill of Rights: basic rights that governmental bodies in the federalist system and all of its citizens abide and live by. Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers, declared that, “Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government: When this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved.” And with these words, the First Amendment of the Constitution that protects the freedom of expression and speech was established.

For many students, school provides the first opportunity to test boundaries, beliefs, and self-expression. The First Amendment safeguards the rights of every American, including students, to speak freely. After all, students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate” (Tinker v. Des Moines). Additional Supreme Court decisions, such as Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier and Bethel School District v. Fraser, have further clarified that the right to free speech and expression can sometimes be subordinate to achieve legitimate educational goals. Schools are not similar to that of a public park where someone can stand on a bench and holler. Rather, the right to free speech should be implemented in ways that do not interfere with schools’ educational mission. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public school officials cannot censor students unless school officials have a “reasonable expectation” that the expression will cause a material and substantial disruption of school activities or invade the rights of others. In the school setting, administration must look diligently at the details of a situation before making decisions when one group’s right to free speech begins impeding on another group’s right to free speech.

I believe in being able to speak freely and the First Amendment right of free speech. Too often, people experience criticism for having the “wrong” opinion. I find it hard to even have a decent debate anymore without becoming infuriated because of the insults being made about me due to my opinions. If we are to ever achieve progress in not only the US, but the world, we need to have the ability to talk with each other in a positive manner.

College students around the country have their rights to free speech violated. Some do something about it by starting an organization advocating for free speech or going to court to have their case heard by a judge. Still, some suffer in “silence” when their rights to free speech are deprived.