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.

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 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.

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.

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

Democracy is founded on the belief that every citizen has an equal say in all matters of life and government affecting them. Even before democratic governments were formed, civilizations would come together with different ideas and cultures to unite in the common goal of helping each other grow as a species. Through this unification process civilizations were able to adapt to challenges and advance their technology faster than ever before. Sometimes an agenda or belief becomes split amongst several parties and differences of opinions can create a less than cordial argument about what is right and what is wrong. It is in these moments of confrontation that the importance of free speech becomes essential to finding a resolution that fits the

Since childhood, I have been raised to believe that college is a space for freethinkers, a place where two people with different opinions can civilly debate on topics to learn more about each other's sides. Even to this day, I hold the idea that college is meant to be the hub for free speech, sadly not everyone agrees. In colleges across the nation, students are feeling frightened to share their opinions if it doesn't fit the social norm. If the United States is a country that deeply values its right to free speech, then why are students afraid to say what they think? One reason might be the threat of violence from groups like Antifa, a social anarchist group that uses mace and bike locks to assault people at protests and counter-protests for public speakers. These attacks don't just occur at random events for just any speakers, they are aimed at conservative speakers and their followers. These attacks and protests are part of a plan to silence a public speaker from spreading their message. Any protest that is set up with the goal of silencing any person is not just an attack on the speaker but is also an attack on the First Amendment. College students should not block public speakers from speaking on campuses because they are constitutionally protected to do so, it is important for students to hear different views than what they agree with, and history has shown that some of the most life-changing movements were seen as using inflammatory speech and were also blocked.

There is a lot of debate on what type of free speech is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Free speech is a basic right of all Americans, but this right comes with restrictions. In public schools, the school administration sets strict rules and regulations that the students are required to follow in order to keep things running smoothly and not cause a disruption within the school. Based on the school’s rules set for the students, the students at Palmyra Area High School are not permitted to hang a Confederate Flag in the Atrium of the high school because it is a very controversial issue, can and will cause a disruption within the school, and the school has the right to monitor free speech during school hours.

Free speech is as synonymous with America as the bald eagle, Old Glory or a slugfest on the gridiron. However, this seemingly inborn right most Americans take for granted has fallen under attack in recent years. The attack on free speech has come directly from the left, and is focused squarely on free speech as it relates to conservative voices. The limitation on such speech seems to only apply when the ideas expressed differ from those on the left. At least this appears to be the case when it comes to the free speech standards at ESPN according to the most recent occurrence at the network.

Free speech has been an issue that the public has been struggling with. From as broadly as online platforms to as specific as public school campuses, there has always been an issue about the right of free speech. It has the capabilities of influencing the people's’ control of language and thought. In the eyes of people in power, free speech has evolved into a matter of comforting the masses. Free speech is directly being targeted at a publicly funded school campus. A publicly funded school campus is supposed to be politically neutral, but if some speakers are allowed to speak and some are not based on their political affiliations, then that gives the implication that some college campus are politically biased. To fix this, public schools should be given the choice of having all shapes and forms of free speech or do not have free speech at all. There are flaws when addressing “speech codes” since they do not apply equally to platforms such as private campuses, who are private business and not affiliated with the government (Lukianoff). Free speech in The Constitution of United States cannot, except under unlikely circumstances, be altered. However, it is up to the people to take advantage of their right to free speech. Those who protest speakers coming to college campuses, and are in favor of limiting their free speech, are in turn limiting their own right to free speech by weakening the societal backing of the first amendment. The people can cause destruction or order to

The first Amendment, one of ten fundamental rights we have as American citizens. It is the right to express any opinion without censorship or restraints. It is a travesty of freedom of speech. A misnomer that falsely empowers citizens with the belief that their opinion and beliefs can be verbalized and listened to without penalty.

The United States congress in 1791 would never believe what freedom of speech has become today. Today the definition of freedom of speech has evolved into something I believe the 1791 congress would be disappointed in. In 1791 freedom of speech was something to be prideful about. The idea behind free speech was everyone who lived in the U.S.A could speak there mind and have a voice for our nation. Sadly, today everyone has an opinion and if you voice it you will definitely get negative results.

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.