Freedom Of Speech: Tinker V. Des Moines

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Blocking freedom of speech in America is as detrimental as a traffic jam in Los Angeles. Once the traffic jam clears, some are given the chance to speed out of the untidy heap of cars while others are left behind and made late to work or school. On February 24, 1969 three Iowan students revolutionized freedom of speech. The case was called Tinker v. Des Moines which addressed if the First Amendment applied to students in a school setting. Consequently, the landmark case has been a tremendous influence on modern cases and issues pertaining to First Amendment rights. Ranging from school freedom of speech and sign ordinance cases such as Bell v. Itawamba County School Board and Reed v. Town of Gilbert, to how freedom of speech should be handled …show more content…

After World War I occurred, Americans were terrified that communists from Russia would spread communism in the U.S. Between 1919 and 1920, Attorney General Mitchell Palmer rounded up possible radicals without warrants or regards to constitutional protections. They allowed the victims to be brutally abused and held in atrocious conditions. When American authorities abused civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU was born. The ACLU has fought for women’s reproductive rights, civil rights, and freedom of speech. Notably, the organization fought for the landmark case Tinker v. Des Moines. The ACLU stated on its website, “In Tinker v. Des Moines, the ACLU won a major Supreme Court victory on behalf of public school students suspended for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War, a major First Amendment …show more content…

Bell v. Itawamba County, which has been in the court system since 2011, was started by a high school student rapper named Taylor Bell who made a rap outside of school about how students were being sexually harassed by two teachers. The school believed it disrupted school activities and threatened the school staff. Several rappers, such as Killer Mike, argued that the First Amendment protects freedom of expression, no matter how uncomfortable individuals may be with rap lyrics. “I see a kid who saw wrong happening and was outraged about it. He wrote a poem about it over a beat” the rapper said for an article titled “A Free Speech and Student Rap Case Is at the Supreme Court” on