When you think about America, the first thing that comes to mind is liberty. Liberty of the government and its citizens is one thing that colonists exceedingly desired during the British oppressive regime. When United States gained independence, the Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution of the Unites States, a document that has been governing our country for more than 200 years. The constitution was drafted accordingly to ensure that people’s opinions were heard. What our Founding Fathers could not foresee is that in our 21st century, The Freedom of Speech not only gives a person such a massive power, but also an opinion even if it is immoral and goes against citizens’ values.
Thesis statement
The First Amendment is the right that has been belonging to people since the birth. When we think about freedom of speech, we tend to remember the protester who expressed his opinion through burning the United States flag or about journalists who exposed a corrupt official. But now the trend is to use the First Amendment to release hatred and worshiping mindsets that go against society’s values and morals.
Background, History
In the United States of America, the First Amendment is one of the things that distinguishes us from any other nations. The First Amendment guarantees the absolute freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom to exercise any religion and freedom to assemble. In many countries,the press gets censored and people who publicly express their opinion end up in the jail. In our country, however, political speech is protected and any citizen can sue an other if one feels his or her opinion is suppressed.
The Westboro Baptist Church, Neo-Nazi, Neo- Klu Klux Klan, and many others emerged as groups that invoke and in...
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... on Corporate Speech, the Press Is a Problem." New York Times 8 Feb. 2011: A12(L). Student Resource Center - Gold. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.
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Welch, Matt. "The 'costs' of free speech: consequentialism and the First Amendment don't mix." Reason July 2010: 2+. Student Resource Center - Gold. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
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Lawver, Bryan. "Laws Do Not Prevent Hate Speech." The Globe. 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. .
One key to the first amendment of the United states constitution is the right to free speech. Freedom of speech is what separates America than other countries around the world that forbid freedom of speech rights. Freedom of speech has been in our constitution since the year 1791. When James Madison “the father of the constitution” wrote the bill of rights he saw potential and that it would make the country more freedom filled than other countries. The land of the free is what the United States is nicknamed and it 's because of our rights to express ourselves as freely as we desire.
For more than 200 years, the First Amendment has been at the heart of United States’ history and most successful research in liberty. The history of America’s nation is the story of the constant struggle to extend the promise of freedom more fully and fairly to each and every citizen. By looking freedom of speech, democratic government is not that important to have it without these rights. People prefer democracy to avoid tyranny or suppression of others. The citizens of the United States need to protect these rights because they are fundamental to the human being to be free, have liberty. What Founding Fathers did is not enough, however, United States’ citizens has to work together for a better place, a better country, a better government.
Since this country was founded, we have had a set of unalienable rights that our constitution guarantees us to as Americans. One of the most important rights that is mentioned in our constitution is the right to free speech. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
Freedom of speech has been a controversial issue throughout the world. Our ability to say whatever we want is very important to us as individuals and communities. Although freedom of speech and expression may sometimes be offensive to other people, it is still everyone’s right to express his/her opinion under the American constitution which states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press”. Although this amendment gave people the right express thier opinions, it still rests in one’s own hands as how far they will go to exercise that right of freedom of speech.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or 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. The first amendment to the United State's constitution is one of the most important writings in our short history. The first amendment has defined and shaped our country into what it is today. The amendment has constantly been challenged and ratified through literature, court cases, and our media. In fact, media is driven by the first amendment. Without it, we as citizens wouldn't be able to view or listen to what we want, when we wanted. As you can see, the first amendment is not only a free pass to say and do what you want, but in contrast, a great limiter to certain types of speech and behavior. This duality of the amendment is what makes it so special. The duality is especially evident in the field of media. The media is constantly being challenged by the first amendment on the following topics:Defamation suits, obscenity and sex on the net, and free speech rights. It is those issues that are constantly changing and redefining our media today.
The 1st amendment was put into play of the Bills of Rights in December 1791. It was placed to protect the freedoms of religion, speech, petition, and press. The freedom of speech is one of the protection clauses that people really enjoy the most. Although there are some certain limitations to the freedom of speech so some things do not carried away. The 1st amendment protects speech in so many ways that allow the people to speak up and voice their opinions or thoughts in ways that many would have thought was illegal or against the law. It allowed people to voice their opinions by in some circumstances by not speaking at all, use offensive words and phrases in political messages, and overall allow individuals to express themselves without the
The First Amendment clearly voices a great American respect toward the freedom of religion. It also prevents the government from "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." Since the early history of our country, the protection of basic freedoms has been of the utmost importance to Americans.
The 1st Amendment is an important amendment that guarantees American citizens fundamental rights. The 1st Amendment includes five freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Press, Freedom of Assembly, and Freedom of Petition. The effect of the First Amendment is shown in the Supreme Court case Texas V. Johnson (the flag burning case), when Johnson burned the United States flag he was charged but later the court decided that burning the United States flag was a freedom of expression. This is shown in the Flag Burning Political Cartoon when he is burning
The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that we, as citizens, have the right to free speech. Our freedom, however, comes with responsibilities that must be respected in order to maintain independence in our country.
The first amendment is the cornerstone of our American society founded years ago by our forefathers. Without the first amendment many ideas, beliefs, and groups could not exist today. The first amendment guaranteed the people of the United States the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition. Although the first amendment guarantees us, Americans the freedom of speech, we cannot use it to cause others harm. This amendment has helped shaped Americans into what we are today, because of our right to assemble, speak freely, and worship as we please.
The First Amendment is known as the most protected civil liberty that protects our right to freedom of speech. There has been much controversy regarding hate speech and laws that prohibit it. These problems have risen from generation to generation and have been protested whether freedom of speech is guaranteed. According to our text book, By the People, hate speech is defined as “hostile statements based on someone’s personal characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.” Hate speech is a topic of issue for many people and their right’s, so the question is often proposed whether hate speech should be banned by government.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or 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." -First Amendment to the Constitution. The First Amendment “protects five of the most basic liberties which include the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government to right wrong” (Silberdick Feinberg, 2015). Without the First Amendment then there wouldn’t of been full ratification and acceptance of new government. The interesting thing of the First Amendment is that it protects our ability to speak freely and openly however it doesn’t establish protection from the repercussions. Employers are able to exercise their restrictions on free speech and terminate their employees based on something they might state in the workplace. Employers have even exercised their right to terminate an employee something he/she expressed publically in their personal time. Business representatives, sports figures and celebrities have been denied work and or let go due to speaking their thoughts
Freedom of speech allows you to debate about a problem rather than getting in a physical confrontation. Freedom of speech is what people believe you need to solve something that 's problematic. People suppose freedom of speech is very much needed because without it we would be censored from speaking our mind meaning we can 't say what we want on social media or in person. We would be restrained and have to listen to rules on what we can and can 't say in certain places in the U.S. People use freedom of speech to express that murder ,abortion, or even racism is okay and acceptable. People express these things because they are protected by the right to freedom of speech and they can 't be put in jail for it. The 1st amendment gives people the opportunity to argue that our government is corrupt because they can and will express their opinions on certain topics. Being able to speak your mind lets you stand up for what you feel is right. People exercising their 1st amendment right lets them stand up to rude teachers, bullies, cyberbullies, police officers, government, and just an out of control person on the street without having to physically fight
First and foremost, in the United States the freedom of expression is guaranteed in the first Article of Amendment to the American Constitution. It states, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or the press..." This is significant beyond its mere primacy in the U.S. Bill of Rights. It does not establish the freedom of expression, but rather, in recognizing its existence, guarantees it. Freedom of expression has been a part of the American way since long before the American Revolution. Alexis de Toqueville, on touring the United States over 150 years ago recognized this, writing in _Democracy in America, "The Anglo-Americans have enjoyed this liberty ever since the foundation of the Colonies..." Americans have always felt free to express their opinion.
One family of theories attempts to justify a right of freedom of expression by pointing to various good consequences that such a right will bring about. The most frequent invoked good consequences of this sort that freedom of expression is supposed to produce are truth, autonomy, and virtue While some others analyzed the rights of free speech and press in lightof positive law, abolitionists insisted that the rights were God-given rights that state and federal constitutions secured but did not create.‘‘No,’’ said Gerrit Smith, ‘‘the constitution of my nation and state createnone of my rights. They do, at the most, but recognize what is not theirs to give. ’’. I take up these three consequentialist goods in turn. One common justification advanced on behalf of freedom of expression is that such freedom is instrumental to the discovery of truth. Freedom to disseminate new information and to criticize prevailing views is necessary for eliminating misconceptions of fact and