Freedom of Speech
The right to free speech is one of the most precious rights an individual has as a citizen of the United States of America. This right gives people the opportunity to speak their mind and give their opinions of what they think should happen. These rights have been questioned and exercised throughout history, and have produced extremely positive things in a lot of cases. The questioning of these rights are not secluded to one era of time; they have been questioned many different times, in many different ways. In modern times, people are always protesting something and in the colonial times it was the same. People wanted their voice to be heard and as long as it is done in a peaceful manner it is legal now, but it resulted in punishment for the colonists. People have never questioned whether or not these rights should exist, the questions involve whether there should be limits or not.
In this era, the right to free speech is being questioned more and more. People are not using their right to free speech because they feel as if they cannot. This is not the case, just because there is a major conflict doesnt mean they cannot let their voice be heard. Most recently, the War in Iraq has brought up
These protests let the king know they were unhappy, but he did not pay any attention to this. This is actually what led to the United States as we know it today (What is free speech, really?). People are actually afraid to question Washington. Those who would give the government unlimited powers are having a field day, and they never fail to try and intimidate those who would argue that our rights are being stolen away. The politicians will not always listen to this, but at least they will hear it. This called for the member of the colonies to take action. People did not question the king of England, or his ways because they knew they would be punished. Although slavery had been legal in all the Colonies before the war, the Northern colonies had banned it outright almost immediately. The society in America is a lot better than that. The people that do voice their opinions try to keep a low profile. The reason that it is in place is to give Americans a choice to have their voice and opinions heard. It was also full of people who disagreed violently, especially about one issue – slavery. Simple comments such as we need a new president or we should have never gone to war with Iraq are completely legal and will not result in punishment. He just set stricter laws and regulations on the colonies. They feel that if they question the government that they will be punished.
-Rian Davis
