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First Amendment Pros And Cons

1001 Words5 Pages

The first amendment of the constitution states that one has the freedom of speech but on most colleges today that isn't a thing. Going back to the 1960’s there have been more and more protests on college campuses, there has also been an incredible amount of more censorship against ideas people don't like. Some people think that if a person's ideas don't match up with their own, the person they disagree with can't express them. We see this “censorship” used is against hard right-wing speakers most of the time, but that isn't putting the blame on one side, no matter what your political views are this could still be used against anyone. Peaceful protests are great but there is a line that gets crossed way to often, that line is going from a peaceful protest to a riot and chaos to …show more content…

The speaker might be racist or have terrible views, to counter that you can protest and use your own first amendment right and voice your opinion non violently. The other side might say that the first amendment doesn't cover these racists, but it was ruled the first amendment covers everything. The supreme court ruled that the first amendment still protects “hate speech” and things like it,“The idea that the government may restrict speech expressing ideas that offend … strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. Speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or any other similar ground is hateful; but the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express “the thought that we hate”(Volokh). This proves that no matter how racist or against views it is they still have the right to express their opinions. The people that disagree with this are wrong because it's simply the law, you can voice your opinion but no one needs to get shut down because you don't like what they are

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The Bill of Rights was passed by congress on September 25, 1789 and was ratified on December 15 , 1791. James Madison and George Manson contributed to the bill rights. In the website, “Bill of Rights Institute,” the “Bill of Rights of The United States of America (1791)” explains the history of the Bill of Rights. At first 17 amendments were agreed on at the house but only 12 out of those 17 were approved. From there , only 10 were passed after being sent to the rest of the states.

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561 Words | 3 Pages

The first amendment protects our everyday life when it come to speaking, Writing, religion, signing a petition,or gathering together for a protest. Congress shall make no law respecting any of these topics. The scenario at hand explained how a group of students set the flag on fire and they all got arrested, the real question is however, are the police within their rights to do so? Overall, there are two sides to the subject, one is, the students are able to burn the flag and should not be punished at all, the other side is that burning the flag infringes upon our rights and it is not allowed. The students are able to burn the flag and they shall not be punished.

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1245 Words | 5 Pages

Today, it’s hard to imagine the U.S. Constitution without the Bill of Rights. However, when the founding fathers we’re drafting the Constitution they didn’t feel the first ten amendments were necessary. The three men that believed these amendments should be included were, George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph (4). James Madison was responsible for drafting the document and came up with seventeen sections (4). This number then got reduced to twelve, but only ten of those twelve were ratified.

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841 Words | 4 Pages

Free speech must be protected, and that means all free speech, whether it is the controversial speaker, the radical protesters or the extremist counter-protestors. All of their rights to free speech must be protected so long as no physical violence and unrest is incited — meaning that we all will have to hear things that we don’t agree, speeches that infuriate us and tear us down from speakers we loathe, but we must learn from what they say. We must learn their perspective as well as our own. It was Robert Kennedy, after the death of Martin Luther King Jr, who said, “And even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.” The things people say will always hurt us, but it is our job to find that wisdom and make peace instead of silencing our opponents in an endless

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200 Words | 1 Pages

On the contrary, although the defendant didn’t violate those the limitations stated by the First Amendment, the First Amendment does have other limitations such as the First Amendment applies differently to students in school. As the Supreme Court ruled in the Tinker case, it states that “students are not granted an unlimited right to freedom of speech or self-expression by the First Amendment, because First Amendment guarantees must be balanced against a school’s need to keep order and their school policies. Another example is the case Bethel School District v. Fraser; in this case, high school student Matthew Fraser made a speech nominating another student for elective office, his speech involved graphic sexual metaphors. The Supreme court

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754 Words | 4 Pages

This section is an extension of the privacy act. It states that you have the right to say what you may. However, it is the same way with the freedom of speech. You are allowed to express your opinion on multiple topics. You cannot say anything that is sensitive or may cause a rally or fight.

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707 Words | 3 Pages

If someone is going to have a conversation with another person, than their freedom of speech should be protected, however; if someone had the sole intentions of causing harm or discomfort to the person that they were speaking with or at, then their freedom of speech may not be so protected. This should be of no concern to any persons on a college campus who are worrying about their right to freedom of speech or expression being neglected, considering that speech codes only work to prevent harm inflicted by hate speech to all students. I agree with Lawrence in that if we are going to end racism, we, as a society, have to take small steps in protecting minority

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1006 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the history of the United States, the American commitment to civil liberties has frequently been put to the test. Examples such as the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the Patriot Act of October 26, 2001 reflect this. Both were driven by a perceived need to protect the United States against foreign adversaries or internal subversion and espionage. The darkest chapters of American history, especially those involving crackdowns against immigrants and political dissent, have almost always occurred during times of war and terror, or the threat of these events. In times like these it is imperative to remember that America was built on the foundation of liberty and equality.

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631 Words | 3 Pages

Free speech is integral to the United States and many places around the world, which means ideas and thoughts may be shared which may seem offensive or wrong to some. College is a place where people go to learn not only about certain topics and classes, but about themselves and their beliefs, which are shared in discussion with others and other activities that may happen around that campus. Political correctness is a controversial topic, with thoughts from both sides saying people should strive for it, and others who may not be in support of it. People will always have their beliefs and ideas, no matter what people may do to suppress their voice or change what they are saying about topics, but colleges should be able to help lead the charge

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530 Words | 3 Pages

This is where the contradiction of the first amendment and laws abide one another. Is it freedom of speech or is it a

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991 Words | 4 Pages

Freedom of speech is one of the foundations to our liberty and pride. We, as Americans, are free to express what be believe in, no matter if you’re more liberal or more conservative. If we take away a form of free speech, that’d take away part of our freedom and liberty. Look at how America reacted when talk of enforcing more gun laws came up. Whether there was any stock behind it or not, everybody jumped to polar opposites on this issue and fiercely starting defending their own beliefs.

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1047 Words | 5 Pages

According to first amendment, freedom of speech is the lifeblood of our democratic system. It is especially important for minorities because it is their only vehicle for rallying support for the redress of their grievances. Some people argues speech code limit the freedom of speech and violate the First Amendment because hate speech is protected. However, hate speech share a lot of similarities with fighting words on campus which should banned on campus. “ ‘Fighting words’ those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace.”

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689 Words | 3 Pages

In my opinion, colleges should teach the freedom of speech to their students instead of canceling the speech events. This past Wednesday, "UC-Berkeley announced it had canceled an event with Ann Coulter scheduled for next week, citing recent violent clashes downtown"

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884 Words | 4 Pages

In the United States of America money represents free speech. A law defining money as free speech has never reached the door step of congress but instead came into fruition through the Supreme Court in 1976. In the case of Buckley v. Valeo the court upheld federal law that set limits to campaign donations. The Supreme Court had also ruled that donors could use their donations to influence elections. Now when donors donate money to influence a presidential election it isn’t considered bribery its considered free speech.

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905 Words | 4 Pages

The idea of free speech on college campuses and the complications of it stem from those on campuses expressing views that don’t align with popular views. Implications for students who use the idea of free speech as a method for hateful actions and comments should be reprimanded, but the question remains as to whether schools should enforce tougher limitations. The freedom of speech on college campus expands to the freedoms of religion, assembly, press, and protest as well. Freedom of expression allows students to show their own political, social, and cultural views. Removing freedoms of speech and expression have consequences deeper than surface issues.

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