Freedom of Speech is 1 of several rights that each and every American is afforded. As an American it is important to understand the Constitutional meaning of this right and some historical facts. In addition, I will provide examples of how this right is a benefit and privilege to all.
Let's start from the beginning. The Constitution, written in 1787, was established as a blueprint for the US government. The US Constitution includes the "Bill of Rights" or the first 10 amendments. The Bill of Rights was created back in the late 1700's to prevent the Government from misuse or abuse of its powers. According to our First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech or of the press;..." Freedom of speech is the right to freely express oneself using information, thoughts, ideas, or simply opinions. However, there are some limitations to our freedom of speech that all must abide by. One such limitation is set during wartime. Military personnel are subject to government limits known as "sedition or speech that incites disloyalty or hatred to the government." Other limitations include: child pornography, hate speeches or slandering.
Our freedom of speech right is a privilege for several reasons. First, it allows protesting and speaking out our beliefs, opinions or ideas. For example; bringing back some topics from my previous blogs, people have continuously protested against and for abortions as well as gay marriages. Both topics are significantly different but somehow related because people feel strongly about these issues. It is issues such as these that are used for political purposes such as election. Second, this right gives Americans the right to speak loudly and freely against our very own government as long as there is no potential harm or danger. Let's take a recent protest that occurred on September 12, 2009 against President Obama's health care plan. People claim that he is misspending public funds. In my opinion, he wouldn't be the first or last President accused of unwisely spending. By no means am I saying that this justifies him, I was only trying to express that the misuse of public funds is on-going. Another privilege and probably the most important of having this right is that it permits and grants all of us including the minority to express their own ideas and beliefs that are different then that of the majority. In doing so, all Americans can speak out without the fear of punishment and this truly is a benefit.
People utilize their freedom of speech everyday. It may be done in a silent manner, for example putting a bumper sticker on their vehicle promoting gay marriage, or a more vocal manner, such as protesting on Capitol Hill. Despite the choice of expression or topic of an issue, we, the American people, have that right.
