Philadelphia 1787, our forefathers set forth the ideas that would establish a country of free men escaping the persecution of England. They created a set of right that every American or immigrant, has an equal opportunity too. When someone tries to take this away, by this paper, they are our enemy. A right that everyone knows is freedom of speech. As an American, I live in a country that allows for me to be whatever I want or say whatever I want, as long as it does not directly hurt an individual or group. Due to current events, freedom of speech is limited for a group of individuals. Oddly enough it's not the group one would think; it is not the Neo-Nazi’s who killed someone in Charlottesville or the group of white kids who hung a biracial child from a tree, it is the NFL players who kneeled during the anthem. A right is a right no matter what race, religion, creed, gender, or sexual orientation. Although I do not think what the NFL stands behind is solid ground, I still believe that their right to protest should not be taken away. Presidents Trump's words toward these players who did not stand were utterly uncalled for. I do not want someone who directly called a group of citizens “sons of bitches” to protect a country of millions. His statement that they should be “fired” for protesting is absurd. They, as with millions of others think that the treatment of minorities in this country is unfair, that is why they are protesting there is no other reason. If Trump wants to suppress their free speech, he must be equal and suppress all forms including his white supremacist brothers.
Throughout my entire life, I have been taught that everyone should be treated equally, but due to current events in the last few years, I know that we are the furthest thing from it. Equality is not, non-segregated bathrooms, or equal opportunities. Although it may be a step in the correct direction, it is not comparable. News headlines are the best example of why we have not changed. When the identity of the Las Vegas shooter was released to the public on Tuesday, an article published by the Washington Post stated, “he liked to gamble, listened to country music, and lived a quiet retired life.” It took the author four
The First Amendment, one of the most controversial amendments in this day of age, is the freedom of speech. Many people believe that people should have the freedom of speech without any restrictions but others believe differently. In the movie “We are Legion” the First Amendment is viewed differently between the two groups, the Anonymous and the rest of the world. While the world believes that some information should be confidential and have restrictions on what should be said and how it can be said. Anonymous believes that information should be made public for the public and their actions should be protected by the First Amendment. Although the First Amendment protects the group, many people believe that they should still be charged and tried for releasing confidential information to the public. Should people be charged for exercising a right that was given to them by the country that they live in? While some people believe that freedom of speech is limited, others want no restrictions on the amendment, except for example if you are in someone’s home and have limited speech. As a citizen of the United States, I do not believe that Anonymous is doing the right thing even if they are protected by the First Amendment.
After reading the transcript of the speech, “The Spirit of Liberty”, given by federal judge for more than 50 years, Learned Hand, who served most of the time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, my idea of what it means to be an American was slightly shifted. The statement made by Hand which really caught my attention was, “What do we mean when we say that first of all we seek liberty? I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes.” I agree with Hand in the sense that the constitution can only serve purpose to our country if we, as Americans, learn to be truly accepting.
Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. Whether or not on a college campus, people (especially college students) should have the right to speak freely. Everyone does have the right to speak freely, because it is one of the twenty-seven amendments. Colleges all around the United States are now home to many restrictions on free speech. For example, the idea and use of “free speech zones” has made its way to colleges everywhere. A “free speech zone” is a sidewalk sized place where students are allowed to speak their minds freely on college campuses. I know what you’re thinking. This sounds ridiculous. Why are there specific places for people to speak their minds? Aren’t colleges suppose to be a place where students speak their minds and learn new things? Universities should not be able to put any restrictions on free speech.
Free speech shall not incite evil and hatred in this country. The First Amendment prevents the government from infringing upon our freedom of assembly and speech. “The disability is so complete that Congress is expressly forbidden to enact laws respecting an establishment of religion, or laws abridging the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech and press, and the right to petition the government” (Bybee). As a whole, our founding fathers only had good intentions with regards to First Amendment rights in America.
The NFL players, who chose to sit out or kneel during the Star Spangled Banner, was a not sign of disrespect and shouldn’t receive any consequences. Colin Kaepernick, an NFL player, had something to say about this protest, “ I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”(Kenny 1). Any of the NFL players who didn’t want to stand during the National Anthem did nothing wrong. Trump’s idea to fire or suspended the players is just foolish. Many people would have done the same thing without hesitation, but this country is just so argumentative about topics like this. It is such a controversial topic. It is outrageous that these players had the
Even though freedom of speech can be tricky, being able to excogitate is key to understanding what can be said under the first amendment is key. This will give you more confidence when you're talking about current events, it'll inhibit social interaction, but the biggest reason of all is understanding your rights will keep you out of jail. Even the supreme court struggles to determine what exactly constitutes protected speech. When trying to see if your covered by the first amendment, certain questions have to be displayed. Are we free to say whatever we want? Exactly what is freedom of speech, what can I say, and what can't I say and still be covered by the first amendment? Understanding the dilemma that freedom of speech just like anything
In the United States we enjoy many freedoms. There are many place throughout the world that don’t allow you to live your life with the flexibilities that a United States citizen may possess. These right are given by the Unites States constitution has made this country become pioneers of innovation, and cultural development. Having a right to express yourself and your ideals have made this the home of immigrates with the ambition to develop into major contributors in modern society. One freedom we enjoy, I would like to discuss in this paper is freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is one the world’s most sort after rights but as of lately it has been under attack stating it may cause national security issues. In this paper we will look at the development of the First Amendment and how newly enacted laws that will cause the government to label people or groups enacting this rights as extremist.
Freedom of Speech. The First Amendment. It’s likely the most well-known part of the United States Constitution, and was considered by the founders of our country to be one of the most important pieces of a free society. While in years prior it has generally been agreed upon that free speech - especially political speech - is vital to democracy, today there are some people singing a different tune. There are those who believe that certain offensive speech (or in some cases any and all offensive speech) should be prohibited by law. This idea of restricting offensive verbal content is known generally as ‘political correctness’ and will be referred to as such here. The First Amendment says that “Congress shall make no
Under the First Amendment, we as Americans have protected rights known as Freedom of Speech. How I see Freedom of Speech is it gives us the right to voice our own opinions without any retaliation or repercussions. An example in which Freedom of Speech may be utilized is before, during and after a Presidential Election. Many people will have their own opinions about how they see each Presidential Candidate fit or unfit. Alot of times after people exercise this right, Rallys and Protests occur. Unfortunetly sometimes when this does happen, boundaries are overstepped. This can result in threats, crimes, slander ad even people getting
Freedom of speech is a right of every American that is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. This democratic freedom allows citizens to speak and express themselves freely. Public school teachers and students are also free to express themselves, however they can both be limited by school administration. The goal of this paper is to analyze free speech as defined by the First Amendment and discussed limitations placed on teachers and students by schools and upheld by the courts. There will also be a discussion of potential areas of liability for public schools concerning freedom of expression and recommendations to mitigate these liabilities.
Freedom of speech is a right in the first amendment that is allowed to every person. No matter the age, gender, or race every person has a different way of thinking, and it's a right for them to be able to express it. Freedom of speech means that every person has the right to express their opinion without having to worry about society or the law threatening them.We are all different due that we are individuals that think, express and process in a variety of ways.If people are comfortable enough with each other thoughts why do people despise when we express them publicly, even when an opinion is never right or wrong.What we can say is that today's society has changed what freedom of speech means.We have changed the way we express our thoughts
The First Amendment say’s “Congress can make no law not allowing freedom of speech to be used by the people”. Now I will give u some historical background. The First Amendment without a doubt was an action against the silence of free speech that existed in The English society. Until 1694, there was a complicated system of licensing in England, and no public was allowed without a government license. Blackstone, with his famous commentaries in law, said that “the liberty of the press say’s laying no previous restraints upon publications, and not in freedom from censure for criminal stuff when published... To subject the press to the power of a license . . . is to subject all of the freedom of sentiment to the power of one man, and make him the
The First Amendment of the Constitution protects individuals freedom of speech. Many people think they have the right to express whatever they want, which most of the time it is true, but sometimes it does have consequences even though it's not illegal.
Citizens of the United States are privileged to the freedom of speech under the First Amendment, but the constitutional limits of the freedom of speech have been questioned on multiple occasions. Citizens of the United States have called upon the Supreme Court numerous times to interpret the meaning of the First Amendment, and the court has censored some forms of speech such as obscene speech --which has been prohibited--and indecent or pornographic speech--which has been regulated (Barrett, 1999). Public and private properties, institutions, and businesses started censoring and placing limitations on hate speech in 1980 (Roleff, p.64). Hate speech is defined as speech that attacks a person or a group on the basis of attributes such as gender, ethnic origin, religion, race, disability, or sexual orientation (Barrett, 1999). “ In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group” (Barnes and Ephross, 1994). Several debates have lingered over if certain restrictions on hate speech violate the First Amendment (Simmons, 2012). Hate speech should be regulated and censored by the federal government; however, these regulations and policies will limit an individual 's freedom of speech.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech among other valued standards. The First Amendment 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 peaceable to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (U. S. Constitution). What does it mean by “Congress shall make no law…abridging freedom of speech?” The framers of the Constitution held the rights to free speech in such utmost regard that they deliberately chose to make it a First Amendment right.