The Importance Of The First Amendment Of Freedom Of Speech

It was upon these concepts of liberty, justice for all, and equality that became the foundation of America and its government. Many citizens claim that these ideals are still believed in and upheld today, yet the black NFL football players who kneeled during the national anthem at a game believe otherwise. According to Bretherton, the black players such as Kaepernick and Reid kneeled to “raise the question of why citizens of color, despite the promise of equality, still live (and die) as lesser Americans” (Bretheron 2). The players took a knee in order to raise awareness and bring attention to the discrimination colored citizens of America are facing today, such as police brutality. Although the players kneeled to invite the people of America to enter with them in a new, deeper kind of a relationship, where all are given mutual respect, the public misunderstood this act of courage as an act of disrespect and incivility towards America. These people, including President Trump, claim that the players are “disrespecting ‘our country, our flag [and] our national anthem” (Bretherton 1). The dilemma, thus, is that our

In August of 2016, Kaepernick began his protest during a NFL preseason game where he initially sat during the singing of the national anthem. At the time, his rebellious efforts became unnoticed, but he soon enough made headlines when someone took a photo of him sitting during the anthem. Thus a social issue was born from the public’s reaction from the photo.The negativity of the public’s reaction stemmed from the norm that it is customary that people raise their right hand over their heart while facing the flag when the Star-Spangled-Banner is playing, so if one does not follow this norm it is identified showing disrespect. Inevitably, the prediction of the people’s reaction were to be expected as they were outraged when Kaepernick broke the norm. Although, it is legal for individuals not to follow these sacrosanct protocols, citizens of the United States find this norm obligatory.Would you stand by and constantly watch the same social issues to keep reoccurring in your neighborhood? Not only that but it keeps happening to different people by the same organization? When numerous acts of police brutality occurred, Colin Kaepernick decided to protest. He could no longer stand by and do nothing; he decided to take a knee. For professional National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, his response was “no”. One of the last waves that came toward the end of the summer is the kneeling while the national anthem played during sporting events. When Kaepernick decided to

Kneeling during the national anthem is not just wrong it is also disrespectful to the multitudes in our country who have served or or presently serving this great nation-- the United States of America. The national anthem represents many things. One of them is the fortitude of our country’s flag. In the anthem it declares that the United States of America is “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The flag represents the very core and essence of our nation as the only land on the continent that offers its citizens the freedoms it has at the price paid for ultimately by the brave. It is in no way oppressive nor racist. It is the theme song for every American. The intended audience of this paper is an appeal to all Americans. The quarterback of the 49ers football team, Colin Kaepernick, first began a protest to draw attention to a series of incidents against African Americans by remaining seated during the national anthem, “the Star Spangled Banner.” After the great stir Kaepernick caused in the media during September 2016, Kaepernick switched up his protest by taking a knee as a nod or gesture of showing more respect to current and former military after receiving an in-depth letter from Nate Boyer a former NFL player and US military veteran. Boyer served our country as a Green Beret. Over a decade ago, Boyer witnessed genocide while working in Sudan. He met numerous African men who were smitten with America and longed to have the

Colin Kaepernick, a San Francisco 49er quarterback but also a daring black man that has decided to speak for the voices that can’t, has made his voice heard by kneeling during America’s beloved ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. Jaweed Kaleem writes in the article “In the ‘land of the free,’ are you free to sit out the national anthem?” about the controversial topic in which he showcases the two sides of how it deems to be disrespectful to sit out the national anthem vs how Kaepernick has the freedom of expression to sit out what he believes does not benefit him.

A very popular constitutional issue in America is the First Amendment. The First Amendment is meant to protect, but in today’s society it is being questioned that the argument is being overly used. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference (Esmaili). Freedom of religion created the separation of church and state. It prohibits the government from interfering with a person's practice of their religion. The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without government interference or regulation. The right of freedom of expression gives the right to assemble and gather for peaceful and lawful purposes. It was adopted into the Bill of Rights in 1791. The Court later interpreted the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as protecting the rights in the First Amendment from interference by state governments. Putting this is layman’s term, you can pretty much say what you want without being penalized.

Football players in the NFL are kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem to protest racial discrimination and police brutality; this can be stopped by reducing the football player’s pay, make kneeling during the National Anthem illegal, or try to end racial discrimination and police brutality in America. This protest was started by a quarterback from the San Francisco 49ers named Colin Kaepernick who said that he refused to honor a song or “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” (McLaughlin and Simon) Even though this is a peaceful protest, it is still unjust and very disrespectful. Not only is it disrespectful to the American Flag, it is highly disrespectful to the American troops that fought for this country.

The First Amendment ensures that there is separation between Church and State. However, this disjunction is not absolute. As the United States has become a more multi-cultural society, certain rituals have become problematic. Some issues were traditions that put one religion at the forefront, violating of the Establishment Clause; other issues affected peoples’ right to free expression of their religion. Many times people do not realize the Judeo-Christian bias in our culture because it is so integrated into our way of life. This country needs to recognize these biases and address them as the United States become a more diverse population.

Colin Kaepernick feels that minorities are not being heard, so he used his higher status to draw attention to the racial inequality by not standing during the national anthem, instead he took a knee. The author of this article feels that the playing of the national anthem has brought politics into the NFL as opposed to Kaepernick as some people feel. However, this article also touches on the fact that his teammate at one point had also taken a knee in support of Kaepernick’s efforts. The way he chose to express his feelings has caused him to be viewed in a negative spotlight by many people all over the country. There are people even outside of the United States who have heard about this controversial situation Kaepernick has been going through.

One of the bigger discussion in the NFL this year hasn’t necessarily been about who’s going to win the super bowl, but about how Colin Kaepernick has been making it a point not to stand during the national anthem. He has been sitting during the national anthem to shine light on the recent killings of unarmed black men. Kaepernick’s choice to not stand is seen as very controversial and many do not agree with it, but as any other citizen of the United States he is protected under the Constitution. In Chapter 2, we discussed how our forefathers came about writing the Constitution. Our first amendment rights give us the right to protest and the right to free speech, and Kaepernick is exercising those rights.

When Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the “Star Spangled Banner” a mass dispute over race, patriotism and football broke out across the United States. Many people who were opposed to Kaepernick's protest believed he was disrespecting our military by not standing with his hand over his

Many believe that when Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers quarterback , refused to stand with his hand over his heart, he abused his duty for his country. In “ O’er the ramparts we watched as athletes were kneeling”, Merrill Matthews, a resident scholar with the Policy Innovation in Dallas, Texas, says he at some point this is going to get out of hand and will not be able to be stopped or fixed. “ If athletes can kneel during the national anthem, can they turn their back? Can they stand on the U.S. flag or even burn it?” ( Matthews 3). In other words, this needs to be stopped before things get out of hand. It is understandable why the opposition argues that Kaepernick was wrong for his doings. However, Colin Kaepernick is a U.S. citizen

The same amendment that protects your freedom of speech is granted to others, including the radical religious and other groups that you have possibly seen, broadcasting their opinion to the entire world. These individuals have a peculiar opinion that may not be shared with a large portion of the population, which causes others to frown upon them. They are still protected by the first amendment though, therefore they are free to say and believe whatever they

The author, Sean Gregory, in “The Perilous Fight,” talks about the political issue that has been going on for the past year, the issue started when a professional football player from the San Francisco 49ers team, also known as  Colin Kaepernick, kneeled down when the National anthem for the United States of America was played at the beginning of a game. Kaepernick’s justification for this, was that this was his way of protesting unfair treatment of individuals because of racial characteristics. Since racism, discrimination, and gender inequalities have been going on for centuries, I agree on the matter of sports players being able to  kneel down when the anthem, “Star spangled Banner,” is being played because these people are trying to stand up for what they believe is right, and they should be allowed to protest because it is serving as a peaceful way to protest for people who are being unjustly treated. Racism and discrimination often leads to these individuals who are suffering to be judged, killed, and many other harsh things that should not be taking place in the “land of the free.” We as Americans are given so many great things, and people think about the United States they usually think of  freedom, pursuit of happiness, and the rights of being a U.S. citizen, but how can we exercise those given rights properly, when t the government does not let us by putting limitations and restrictions on how we use our rights?  When it's

Since the early 1900s, the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” is an opportunity for citizens to honor their country and reflect on the great liberties that they are afforded. It sounds simple but the anthem has become complicated. This is America 2016, a time where police officers are getting away with murder and a businessman is elected as our president. When the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick decided to not stand for the playing of the national anthem in the pre-season game of the NFL, he was the first athlete to vividly illustrate his outrage over the police brutality stirring within the American population. His actions have led to a wave of athlete protests who are joining to exercise their constitutional rights and help fight against an issue bigger than sports. However, there are many citizens attacking the silent protests with violent threats and are calling the participants disrespectful. While the controversy has centered on the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” it has been overlooked that the problem is really with the entire country and the cultural divisions that exist in today’s society. Although many patriotic fans are criticizing and denouncing his actions, Kaepernick and many other protesters are making a difference by standing against the oppression of minorities and social injustices that are gripping our nation.

America was faced with a national debate on whether Colin Kaepernick's kneel during the National Anthem was disrespectful. For many, this song praising the stars and stripes, brings out the patriotism of this nation, but it also symbolizes the injustice that many faced to get here. African Americans have been the first to deal with inequality and turmoil during the development of the states. Nevertheless, they are still the first to be attacked when they misstep. Police brutality has pervaded black communities, leading to the need for change among this larger issue. It is stated in the Constitution that every man has the right to freedom. Whether that be freedom of speech, freedom of choice, or anything else, people are