Should Freedom of the Press be Limited to Protect National Security? Every single American Citizen has their own rights and privileges, dating back to 1787 when the U.S. constitution was born. This was the first legal document stating citizen rights. Four years later, in 1791, the First Amendment was passed, stating several American citizen rights including Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Expression, the right to petition, and the right to assemble. Over the years to present day, these rights have been shifted to meet current standards. Although they are meant to benefit citizens, some of these freedoms bring up controversy. For example, many people consistently debate whether Freedom of the Press should be limited to protect National security. The First Amendment, where U.S. citizen freedoms are written, 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 of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (Fiorina). Freedom of the Press, a right stated in the First Amendment, “Protects the right to obtain and publish information or opinions without government censorship or fear of punishment…applies to all types of printed and broadcast material, including books, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, films and radio and television programs” (Freedom...). This amendment, adopted by the Bill of Rights in 1791, has had a unique history and has changed greatly over time. As stated, the freedom was made to let citizens write about whatever they wanted. However, the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798 had an impact on f... ... middle of paper ... ...4. Fiorina, Morris P., Paul E. Peterson, Bertram Johnson, and William G. Mayer. "The Media." America's New Democracy. 6th ed. Vol. 3. N.p.: Pearson, 2011. 142-43. Print. Forte, Maximillian. "7 Reasons Why We Should Celebrate Wikileaks, and 8 Reasons It's Not the Panacea Some Are Calling It." Alternet. Alternet, 3 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 May 2014. "Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press." Lincoln. Lincoln, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014. Meek, James Gordon, Luis Martinez, and Alexander Mallin. "Intel Heads: Edward Snowden Did 'Profound Damage' to U.S. Security." ABC News. ABC News Network, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. Siegel, Paul. "National Security: Republican vs. Democratic Views." Watch Blog. Watch Blog Democrats & Liberals Archives, 9 Feb. 2006. Web. 14 May 2014. "Vietnam War - The Impact of Media." YouTube. YouTube, 27 May 2007. Web. 15 May 2014.
The first Amendment of the United States Constitution says; “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.”[1] Our fore fathers felt that this statement was plain enough for all to understand, however quite often the United States government deems it necessary to make laws to better define those rights that are stated in the Constitution. Today the framers would be both encouraged and discouraged by our modern interpretation the First Amendment the United States Constitution.
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.
The First Amendment guarantees that congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press. U.S. CONST. amend. I. The courts have heeded the First Amendment’s underlying values in order to determine whether or not recording police officers is a freedom of the press and have answered in the affirmative; they have firmly established that the First Amendment extends further and encompasses a range of conduct related to receiving information and ideas. Glik v. Cunniffe, 655 F.3d 78, 82 (1st Cir. 2011). The Supreme Court has observed that the First Amendment protects the right to gather news from any source by means within the law. See id.at 82.
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 Bill of Rights includes several amendments describing the rights that people have as well as the things that are prohibited in our nation. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights 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 of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for the redress of grievances.” This Amendment lists the five freedoms that all of the United States citizens have been given. (U.S. Const. amend. I)
The first amendment is the one that defends the liberty of speech. “Because democracy depends on an open political process and politics is basically talk, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are considered critical,” (pg. 119). It is defended, but freedom of all speech is not guaranteed. The United States Supreme Court has identified many categories of speech that are eliminated from the freedom. It has also acknowledged that government may implement limits of speech. Examples of prohibited speech are to make or allocate material that is indecent, to encourage potentially harmful action, to allow students to print out articles that would dissent the administration in a school newspaper, and for students to promote the illegal use of
Yet, still even with this, the American people still needed individual protection from the government. With this being said, the Bill of Rights was created to further protect the liberties of American citizens. The Bill of Rights is a list of ten amendments that would guarantee the rights of the people (Bill of Rights). This document was created to ensure the government did not get too much power, but current day it can be observed how the government is trying to clip away at these amendments, trying to convince the people that they are not necessary. This can be seen with the two most currently most debated amendments, the first and second (Discussing Controversial Topics). The First Amendment, as stated in the Bill of Rights, is as so, “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
Since the early history of our country, the protection of basic freedoms has been very important to Americans. The American voice on freedom has been shaped throughout history. The Bill of Rights was originally drawn up in June, 1789. On December 15th, 1791, the Bill of Rights were ratified and added to the United States Constitution. James Madison said that a bill of rights was good for the “tranquility of the public mind, and the stability of the government” (Burgar, Michael, 2002). Free speech and free press were most important to the drafters of the Bill of Ri...
The traditionalist approach to free speech protection is centered on core values and yields results that are basically neutral so that content allowed through one communication medium is permissible in all media.Freedom of speech and of the press is a basic tenant of United States constitutional law. Perhaps concern for the English use of prior restraint (licensing of press) and seditious libel was the reason for including the first amendment in our bill of rights. When the first amendment became law the printed page was the most widely used non-verbal medium of speech. Speech, as we understand it, involves more than verbal communication. Speecht includes pictures, movies, radio, television and expressive conduct [Shelton v. Tucker, 364 US 479 (1960)].
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.
On December 15, 1791, Congress adopted the freedom of speech as a constitutional right under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as a law to protect all American citizens. The law clearly 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 of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (www.law.cornell.edu). Although this law is in effect, there are exceptions to policy and many other categories that are excluded from the freedom, in which the government may enact within a reasonable amount of time, place or manner restrictions on speech. According to the famous speech written by Raphael Cohen-Almagor, it states that freedom of speech is a guiding rule, one of the foundations of democracy, but at the same time, freedom does not imply anarchy, and the right to exercise free expression does not include the right to do unjustified harm to others.
The First Amendment is a great 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." In the early history of America, protecting freedom has been very important to Americans. In Langston Hughes poem Freedom, he expresses the struggle to enjoy the freedom that he knows are his. He shows how much he wants freedom when he says, "I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread." I think Langston Hughes showed the message of the American immigrants fight for freedom in the poem, Freedom. I choose Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 as a example of the censorship in a world that is being ignored. The government tried to get this movie not shown in the U.S. because it was disrespecting the United States government. A lot of people accept this censorship of expression without trying to fight it. Freedom of speech is always being argued. In a court case, a Gloucester County school district censored reviews of two R-rated movies from a school newspaper. Superior Court Judge, Robert E. Francis ruled that the student's rights were violated under the state Constitution. There was a new bill proposed that would prevent school officials from controlling the content of student publications. Some people thought that the student journalists may be too young to understand the responsibilities that come with free speech.
The First Amendment gives the citizens of the United States of America the right to freely speak and express themselves. To be free in
The first amendment grants the freedom of the press, speech, and religion. The first amendment also grants that the media is immune from