“The First Amendment to the United States Constitution says that Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of ‘speech’ (“Freedom of Expression”).” It has been proven through the court system that speech goes far beyond regular verbal communication (“Freedom of Expression”). If this is be true, then why is there so much controversy over the freedom of expression? If the right to freedom of expression is taken away, the government will steadily become more and more powerful until it controls every facet of life. Even though the United States prides itself on being a staunchly democratic nation, it is no better than a tyrannical government if it steals the right of freedom of expression from its citizens. Most people do not wish to live in a society oppressed by an all-powerful government that gives them very little freedom. Holding Orwell’s society as a model, a government that has too much power will gladly let its citizens endure pain, suffering, and even torture. For society to be productive, people must be allowed to express their ideas and thoughts, if they cannot, then civilization will move backwards instead of frontward.
The issue of freedom of expression is not a new problem. In fact, people have been debating it for years, even on the Supreme Court level. One such case is Schenck v. United States, where it was deemed illegal for Schenck to distribute pamphlets urging people to impede the process of the draft (“Schenck v. United States”). The Supreme Court thought that it was illegal for Schenck to do this, and he was convicted, but on another case dealing with the freedom of expression the court took the opposite side. In the case of Tinker v. Des Moines, a school prohibited students from wearing black armba...
... middle of paper ...
... gotten across.
Living an emotionless existence is surely not living at all, and this is why freedom of expression should be a guaranteed right. It is very important for a functional society where people are entitled to their opinion and are able to freely offer constructive criticism. When it is taken away, oppression, poverty, and the general degradation of society is seen in abundance. A society in which people are allowed to speak their minds is infinitely better than an Orwellian one in which people feared thinking thoughts that could be unwelcome to the government. A terrible place if one were not even safe in their mind. The present world is a place to give full freedom of expression to everyone. Everyone deserves the chance to get their ideas across, and depriving them of that opportunity is borderline inhumane. It is simply immoral to deny this right.
The United States of America is often known for having more freedom than anywhere else. As Gandhi said, “A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better and greater than a ‘yes’ uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.” Freedom of speech is a big part of the American culture and citizens are encouraged to speak their minds and opinions openly. It is such an important aspect of each American individual that it is
...ntinuously keeping people from saying what they want, the government is simply making them want to act out and speak out even more. To become a better nation or better citzens, we must learn to tolerate or accept the ideas of others no matter how absurd or profane they may be. No one has to agree with these ideas. Being able to tolerate the opinions of others leads to order and peace ( Tinder 44). For us to really be a free nation we must allow true free speech. “Order and peace are spontaneous and will tend to prevail wherever there is freedom” (Tinder 45).
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.
According to “Freedom of Speech” by Gerald Leinwand, Abraham Lincoln once asked, “Must a government, of necessity, be too strong for the liberties of its people, or too weak to maintain its own existence (7)?” This question is particularly appropriate when considering what is perhaps the most sacred of all our Constitutionally guaranteed rights, freedom of expression. Lincoln knew well the potential dangers of expression, having steered the Union through the bitterly divisive Civil War, but he held the Constitution dear enough to protect its promises whenever possible (8).
In the United States, free speech is protected by the First Amendment in which it states, “Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion … or abridging the freedom of speech.” Now, nearly 250 years into the future, the exact thing that the Founding Fathers were afraid of is starting to happen. Today, our freedom of speech is being threatened through different forces, such as the tyranny of the majority, the protection of the minority, and the stability of the society. Now, colleges and universities in the United States today are also trying to institute a code upon its students that would bar them from exercising their right to speak freely in the name of protecting minorities from getting bullied. This brings us into
Most people opposing restrictions on freedom of speech believe it will open doors that may threaten expression and lead to more extreme forms of censorship. What much of the opposition fails to realize is that our government has “drawn lines between protected and unprotected freedom of speech before without dire results” (Lawrence 64). When the abuse of one right threatens the preservation of another our government must pick their poison and decide which side calls for protection in each situation. This can be seen by ...
“Everyone loves free expression as long as it isn't exercised” (Rosenblatt 501). In the article, We are Free to Be You, Me, Stupid, and Dead, Roger Rosenblatt argues for the people’s right to freedom of speech and expression, that is given by the U.S Constitution. Rosenblatt argues that freedom of speech is one of the many reasons the Founding Fathers developed this country. For this reason, Rosenblatt believes that we should be tolerant and accepting of other’s ideas and beliefs. Even if one does not agree with someone else, they need to be understanding and realize that people have differing opinions. Everyone has the right to free expression, and this is what Rosenblatt is trying to get across. The necessity of freedom of expression and the important values it contains is a main foundation for this country, therefore, Rosenblatt’s argument is valid.
The government then expects us to possess certain responsibilities in our freedom of speech. For example, one may not discuss anything that is violent or threatening. This is considered a crime and is taken seriously by authorities. Not long ago, two gentlemen in Florida were overheard discussing plans to "bring it down." The assumption, of course, was that they were going to bomb a building. The woman who heard their conversation called the police and the men were arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy.
Freedom of speech is a staple in this nation. When being asked “Do you believe in the freedom of speech” most Americans would say affirmatively say yes. There is a contradiction to what people say they believe is okay and what isn’t. For instance, if there is a topic that is sensitive to some people, like a hate group holding meetings, more Americans today would be a bit more standoffish as to agree that what those groups are doing deserves to be backed by The Constitution. Absolute freedom of speech deserves to be expressed in any way shape or
Freedom of speech can be discussed from multiple viewpoints or perspectives. One of these aspects can be seen as beneficial and encompasses a stunning area of possibility, which includes the rudimentary existence of democracy as well as human dignity. Speech has also made it possible for humans to pass down knowledge from generation to generation, learning from both success and mistakes to further advance the evolutionary cycle of humankind. Imagining a system in the world where people’s conveniences rule alongside their desire ...
Based on the First Amendment, the government may not exercise any activities that interference freedom of speech of an individual. For Americans, freedom of speech is clearly become the most basic freedom. Everyone has always thinks freedom of speech is a basic right that everyone automatically has when they were born; on the other hand, freedom of speech is experiencing serious growing pains.
Freedom of speech has been the core principle we have fought long and hard for centuries to achieve. It is the fundamental reason why the founders seperated from England and started their own colonies on the idea of becoming free. In recent times the idea of freedom of speech has been put into question as there has been incidents for years of racism, religious differences and discriminatory abuse. What comes into question is what exactly is your freedom of speech rights and what should be and should not be said in the public eye. The problems that we see arising in today’s society is discrimination and abuse against one another for opposing views and what exactly should your freedom of speech rights entail to as many hate crimes have occurred
There is always an extend to freedom of speech. All individuals shall express themselves and their ideas in any way, but only if they are not physically harming others. Words cannot physically stab or shoot or murder someone. It may hurt a person’s feelings, but as humans, we should learn to ignore negative comments even if it is meant for us, by ignoring negativity it would not harm us
As time goes on, it appears that the American people are slowly losing value of this freedom. It seems that “In our country we have [1] unspeakably precious [thing]: the freedom of speech and the prudence to never practice [it]” (Twain). Though the American people have been given the freedom of speech, they choose not to exercise it.This leads the government to attempt to censor this freedom “especially during times of national stress, like war abroad...” (ACLU). Since it is not evident that Americans value the freedom of speech, the government tests them to see how they will react. To see whether they will fight back. The point is that though the American people have been given the right to speak openly, they do not care to understand the usefulness of it, leading the government to test their resistance to the freedom of