ipl-logo

Texas Vs Johnson Rhetorical Analysis

423 Words2 Pages

There are many differences in tone between Texas v. Johnson, and The American Flag Stands for Tolerance. The court opinion of the case Texas v. Johnson, has a very formal tone. The seminal document starts off immediately with and interesting first word, “We.” The word “we” implies that the court is working together on this case, not alone. A beginning example of the formal tone would be the word choices of “decline”, and “therefore,” which both sound formal, and it sounds as if they are being as careful as possible to not offend anybody reading the document. Instead of using informal language such as “cook up,” or “throw together,” they use the word “create,” which is an interesting choice, yet a calm word. Yet another choice of words that they use, would be “exception,” which yet again, is formal and not an everyday word. Finally, what is probably the most interesting word choice, is the use of the word “joust.” Reading the document which is formal, this word seems out of place, because it is a more colorful word than one such as competition. While the document Texas v. Johnson has a formal tone, the article The American Flag Stands for Tolerance, is more colloquial. The word choice expresses this very well. The word choices such as “disagreement”, and “crucial …show more content…

Texas v. Johnson’s tone is formal and serious. This tone fits the context because the Court is the people writing the document. The court does their best to not offend anyone in the document so as to get the information out without causing a riot. The American Flag Stands for Tolerance’s tone is more colloquial so as to reach the same level as the readers. The writers of The American Flag Stands for Tolerance wrote this document, using the opinions of the people so as to reach out to the readers. These are examples of tone being affected by context in the documents Texas v. Johnson, and The American Flag Stands for

Show More
Related
288 Words | 2 Pages

This document is from the dissent of Mr. Justice Harlan in the Plessy v. Ferguson trial decided on May 18, 1896. His audience is the assenting Justices, and any citizen of the United States that reads the decision handed down by the court. Justice Harlan wrote his Dissent to the case to establish that the assenting judges were amiss in their decision to uphold the Louisiana Separate Car Act. Justice Harlan believes that the decision of the court is wrong on the basis that, if read as purported the U.S. Constitution has no caste, and is therefore color blind. He says “the white race deems itself to be the dominant race in this country.

Read More
432 Words | 2 Pages

When Texas seceded from the United States on March 2, 1861, Texas’s own governor, Sam Houston, withheld from pledging allegiance to the Confederacy. This was the man that had defeated Santa Anna to get Texas independence from Mexico. He was also the man to start the movement to get Texas annexed into the United States. So, why did Texans fight in the Civil War? Texans fought in the Civil War to protect their families, to protect state’s rights, and to protect slavery.

Read More
517 Words | 3 Pages

The Supreme Court has just recently rejected a case about the Confederate Flag emblem being on the Mississippi flag, and Carlos Moore, an African-American man, who petitioned the court over his reason of how the flag, where it is located in state buildings, courts, and schools, symbolically expresses support for white supremacists. The justices didn’t exactly give a reasoning for the appeal, but a federal appeals court rejected the lawsuit, because of lack of standing. In the article it says “They said he demonstrated that he feels stigmatized.

Read More
421 Words | 2 Pages

“He was charged under a Texas statute that prohibited desecration of a venerated object (including...a state or national flag).” In 1984, Gregory Lee Johnson burned the American flag as part of his demonstration against nuclear weapons. It started as an organized protest along the streets of Dallas, and ended up being an offensive act to witnesses of the scene. One could attempt to justify Gregory’s unlawful action as an expression of his First Amendment. However, as a justice on the US Supreme Court, I would have to agree with opinion B, because it appropriately supports the reason for Johnson’s conviction.

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

The articles written by Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer both contribute valid insight on how the Constitution should be interpreted. They, however, end up taking conflicting views on whether to adopt what is known as a living constitution or to bind the judiciary by the original meaning of the document. Throughout their works, the authors mention the importance of objectivity, judicial restraint and the historical context in which the Constitution was written under and whether or not it should apply to the United States today. Scalia argues in favor of the originalist approach, stating that he supports neither a strict nor a loose interpretation of the Constitution, but rather, a reasonable interpretation. Breyer sides with the cosequentialist ideals, claiming that active participation in collective power is paramount when it comes to evaluating the Constitution's place in American law.

Read More
721 Words | 3 Pages

The Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 in the case of Hernandez v. Texas was the start of a breakthrough for Mexican Americans in the United States. The case was brought to existence after Pete Hernandez was accused of murder in Jackson County, a small town called Edna, Texas. The special thing about this case that makes it significant was the jury that were including in this trial. It was said that a Mexican American hadn’t served on a jury in the county of Jackson in 25 years. With the help of a Mexican American lawyer, Gustavo Garcia, the case was brought to the highest court level and was beheld as a Violation of the constitution.

Read More
266 Words | 2 Pages

During the 1984 Republic Nation Convention in Dallas, Texas, Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag while protesting the policies of President Ronald Reagan. He was arrested and charged with the violation of a Texas statute that prohibited the desecration of a respected object, including the American flag, if such actions would likely cause anger in others. Johnson was tried and convicted by a Texas court where he then appealed, arguing that his actions were a “symbolic speech” and therefore protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, with the issue of whether or not the burning of an American flag was or could be considered “symbolic speech”.

Read More
608 Words | 3 Pages

Interestingly, despite the issues of religion surrounding the case, the decision was reached due to a completely different reasoning; that the government cannot force anyone to express orthodox beliefs that are at odds with their conscience and values. According to the justices that ruled in favor of Barnette, the flag salute, in addition to the pledges, is a “form of utterance.” By enforcing a compulsory flag salute, the state board of education was creating a “compulsory unification of opinion,” inconsistent with the values of the First Amendment. The three other justices believed that the rules laid out by the state board of education was completely constitutional. Representing the dissenting judges, Justice Felix Frankfurter said, in essence, that the legislation was within the scope of power of the state because it encourages "good citizenship and national allegiance.

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

Justice Paul Steven was the allocate for the dissenting opinion. Their main point was ¨it is now conceded that the Federal Government has a legitimate interest in protecting the symbolic value of the American flag,” (LII) and that “the flag uniquely symbolizes the ideas of liberty, equality, and tolerance -- ideas that Americans have passionately defended and debated throughout our history. The flag embodies the spirit of our national commitment to those ideals” (LII). People today still debate is the burning of the flag should be protected under the first amendment or if it is a symbol of American and therefore should not be

Read More
853 Words | 4 Pages

Why should someone's actions change your view on things? If someone decides to do something sporadic, and it can’t conclude with a criminal punishment, why argue on it? The following texts that will be brought up are “What of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret, “Texas V. Johnson” by William J. Brennan and “American Flag Stands for Tolerance” by Ronald J. Allen. The way that others act should not affect our opinions and thoughts upon our beliefs and we should not discriminate against others for having their beliefs. “What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?”

Read More
240 Words | 1 Pages

The American flags served as a blurred line between patriotism and support for Ted Cruz. When a student asked to be excused and not be forced into apparent political association, they were sternly reminded of school policy. All a student could do to show there disagreement was not to accept the flag.

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

This investigation will explore the question: To what extent was the degree of threat posed by a Japanese-Americans during the Second World War equivalent to the treatment they received from the US government? The 1930s - 1940s will be the focus of this investigation, to allow for an analysis of transcript evidence Roosevelt received before making the decision, as well as the political and public pressure that fueled up the decision. 1) The first source evaluated is a memorandum to the President from Attorney General Francis Biddle in February 17, 1942. The origin of this source is valuable because it was written directly from Francis Biddle; who was appointed to a number of important governmental roles, thus would have connections and had

Read More
1212 Words | 5 Pages

The quality of education remains, and so does the freedom of everybody else, regardless of the color of his or her skin. Based on these truths, I therefore, argue that the confederate flag should remain on campus because it is not a mode intimidation or tool of threat to anyone. Scholars come to Mississippi University from all sets of background and they all find a home in the campus and fulfill their academic objectives of accessing quality education not to watching a confederate flag hanging in the campus. Keeping the confederate flag at the campus possess merely taps into the longstanding heritage of Mississippi.

Read More
1491 Words | 6 Pages

By definition the phrase liberty and justice for all represents the idea that each citizen is equal under the law. As Americans, citizens are guaranteed the right to vote; the right to be free; as well as the right to equality, regardless of their race, sex, or religion. The growth in America’s history proves that the American flag and Pledge of Allegiance have promoted liberty and justice for everyone. It is the drastic change from times such as the Colonial era; when women and enslaved African Americans were seen as inferior to white men, to where the nation is now; having had an African American president as well as a woman nominee for a presidential election, that expresses how America as a whole has managed to eliminate all these struggles today. It is undeniable that the United States has lived up to that promise as well as the claim, in our Pledge of Allegiance, that the American flag represents “...liberty and justice for all”

Read More
1764 Words | 8 Pages

In this day and age people are most concerned with being politically correct. A person must be aware of what he or she says and be sensitive to other people 's religious affiliations and cultures. The controversy of the Battle flag is affecting politicians directly in the upcoming elections. Nia-Malika Henderson, Senior Political Reporter, says that, “The flag debate is quickly becoming a major political issue ahead of the state 's crucial first-in-the-South presidential primary next year. Many Republicans, including Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, have avoided taking a position on the flag.”

Read More

More about Texas Vs Johnson Rhetorical Analysis

Open Document