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Significance of freedom of speech and expression
Significance of freedom of speech and expression
Freedom of speech in the usa
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When it comes to Freedom of Speech, we have the ability to express ideas, thoughts, and ourselves for personal and political purposes, which is great for our civil rights and liberties. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states in relevant part, “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.” (Ivers, 2013) In the interim, we also have to remember, there are pros and cons to every amendment that we all have to keep in mind. We also need to keep in mind that we are accountable for our words even with “Freedom” of speech. Federalism plays a big part when it comes to Freedom of Speech. A great case to use for an example of federalism dealing with Freedom of speech is Texas v. Johnson, 1989. Texas v. Johnson was a case in which the American Flag was burned in a protest. A man by the name of Gregory Lee Johnson, burned the American Flag in a protest against President Reagan because of the policies that Reagan had implemented. Johnson was charged with violating a Texas law. The law We must understand the repercussions to our words and actions. I believe Adam Winkler said it best. He said “The reason for this “free speech federalism” and the implication of this phenomenon for constitutional adjudication are explored.” (Winkler, 2009) I found a law case that helps put this into perspective. The case: Morse v. Frederick from 2002. Joseph Frederick was attending Juneau-Douglas High School at the time of the suit. Students were permitted to leave class to watch the Olympic Torch pass by. (All this took place in Alaska) Frederick and some of his friends left school and went across the street and strung out a banner that read “Bong Hits 4 Jesus”. The principal at the time, Deborah Morse went across the street and asked the students to give her the sign, they refused and she took the sign away from the students
Over five years have passed since high school senior Joseph Frederick was suspended for 10 days by school principal Deborah Morse after refusing her request to take down a 14-foot banner he was displaying at a school-sanctioned event which read “BONG HiTS 4 JESUS.” Born as a seemingly trivial civil lawsuit in which Frederick sued the school for violating his First Amendment rights to free speech, the case made its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the long-awaited ruling of Morse v. Frederick has finally been released. In a 5-4 split decision, the court ruled in favor of Morse and upheld the school board’s original ruling that Morse was acting within her rights and did not violate Frederick’s First Amendment rights by taking away his banner and suspending him for 10 days. The controversial decision has led followers of the case to question the future of student speech rights.
Everyone in America, from adults to students have freedom of speech. This freedom is provided by the first amendment. In the case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, students fights for the freedom of speech in their school newspaper. One side of the case was three students who thought their free speech was violated and the other side was the principal defending the school. After the court's decision, this case had a big impact on the school and many other people. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier talks about students not giving up their freedom of speech in a school setting.
Is the upholding of the American flag as a symbol of the United States more important than the freedom of speech provided by the First Amendment? Are there certain freedoms of expression that are not protected under the First Amendment and if so what qualifies as freedom of speech and expression and what does not? The Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson proves that the First Amendment and the freedom of speech are not limited to that of spoken and written word, but also extended to symbolic speech as well. Texas v. Johnson is a case in which the interpretation of the First Amendment rights is at the top of the argument. This case discusses the issue of flag burning as a desecration of national unity and that the flag of the United States should be protected under a law. Texas v. Johnson expanded the rights of symbolic speech and freedom of expression under the First Amendment and was presented as a precedence for future cases along with influencing the final decision on the revision of
During the Olympic Torch Relay through Juneau, Alaska on January 24, 2002 Senior Joseph Frederick displayed a banner saying “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” (Facts and Case Summary: Morse v. Frederick). This presented an issue with the principal, Deborah Morse, who told Frederick to not display the banner because it could be interpreted as encouraging illegal drug activity at a school sponsored event (Facts and Case Summary: Morse v. Frederick). Frederick refused to obey Morse and so the banner was confiscated from him and he was suspended from school for 10days based upon the violation of a school policy which forbids the advocacy of illegal drug usage on banners or other materials which is supported by current law (Facts and Case Summary: Morse v. Frederick). Joseph Frederick brought suit against his principal for violation of the first amendment freedom of speech stating his banner was not intended to promote illegal drug activity but an attempt to catch the attention of television cameras (Facts and Case Summary: Morse v. Frederick).
The First Amendment of the United States gives citizens the five main rights to freedom. Freedom of speech is one of the rights. If people did not have the freedom of speech there would be no way of expressing one’s self and no way to show individuality between beliefs. This Amendment becomes one of the issues in the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District Supreme Court case that happened in December of 1969. In the case of Tinker v. Des Moines there were five students that got suspended for wearing armbands to protest the Government’s policy in Vietnam. Wearing these armbands was letting the students express their beliefs peacefully. Many people would consider that the school did not have the authority to suspend these petitioners because of the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.
In contrast, some people say they that freedom of expression should not exist or be better controlled. Like everything else, freedom of expression often gets abused or taken advantage of. Some individuals do not know how to control what comes out of their mouths, so they will be ignorant or “jackasses, just because they can. By these people being ignorant, or “jackasses” if you will, it gives freedom of speech a bad reputation. Freedom of expression can
From the opening sentence of the essay, “We are free to be you, me, stupid, and dead”, Roger Rosenblatt hones in on a very potent and controversial topic. He notes the fundamental truth that although humans will regularly shield themselves with the omnipresent First Amendment, seldom do we enjoy having the privilege we so readily abuse be used against us. 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”.
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.
Much history came within the Texas v. Johnson case. It all started during the 1984 Republican National Convention, this is where Johnson participated in a political demonstration to protest what policies Regan was administrating (Brennan 1). A march was occurring throughout the city streets, which Johnson did take part in. Johnson burned an American flag while protesters chanted him on (Brennan 1). No person was specifically injured during this protest; although, many witnesses were severely offended (Brennan 1). Johnson was convicted of Desecration of a venerated object, which violated the Texas Statue. The state court of appeals affirmed Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and reversed the case stating it was a form of expressive conduct, so it was alright (Brennan 1). In a 5 to 4 decision the Supreme Court came to the conclusion that Johnson’s burning of the flag was protected under his First Amendment rights (Brennan 1). The court also found that although witnesses may have found it offensive, does not...
1. The measure of a great society is the ability of its citizens to tolerate the viewpoints of those with whom they disagree. As Voltaire once said, “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” (Columbia). This right to express one's opinion can be characterized as “freedom of speech.” The concept of “freedom of speech” is a Constitutional right in the United States, guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution:
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
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
The articles "Freedom of Speech: Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Kansas City" and "Freedom of Religion: Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association" both engage in conflicts pertaining to the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
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