Should Freedom of Speech Have Limits - 2085 Words

Should Freedom of Speech have Limits? Why or Why Not? Introduction First Amendment protection of free speech has long been recognized to be essential to democratic governance, in part because social progress would stagnate without the free exchange of ideas between citizens. However, there are practical limits to what constitutes protected free speech and these limits have been codified into law by Congress and enforced by the federal courts. This essay will argue that the First Amendment is important to protecting the democratic process, but also that the limits placed on those protections are just as important. Dissident Speech and Material Support During the buildup before the United States entered World War I the executive branch and Congress became so concerned about antiwar speech that they effectively outlawed it with passage of the Espionage Act in June 1917 (Finan, 2007, pp. 8-10). The wording of the Act made it a federal crime to make  ¦ false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces. While newspaper publishers were able to end an attempt to limit the press as well, publishers who relied on the U.S. Postal System were not so lucky. The Espionage Act gave the Postmaster General broad powers to censure publications and other mailed materials that were  ¦ advocating or urging treason, insurrection, or forcible resistance to any law of the United States. When the first Espionage Act cases eventuallyShow MoreRelatedFree Speech : Freedom Of Speech1403 Words   |  6 PagesFREE SPEECH Freedom of speech is perhaps the most precious tenets of liberal democracies accorded to the citizens of the free world. The United States, and the rest of the Western society is known to be the cradle of democratic principles, and this can be evidenced by the level of freedom accorded to the citizens of the United States and the West in terms of speech. The freedom of speech gives an individual an opportunity to speak his or her mind and also give his or her opinion, sometimes on veryRead MoreThe Fundamental Principles Of The Us Constitution1439 Words   |  6 Pagesof the US Constitution is the freedom of speech. Something so ingrained in the country, that it is often an afterthought for many Americans. John Stuart Mill believes that freedom of expression and speech is a necessity for the human race to advance and evolve. Mill’s justification of this absolute freedom come from the understanding that mistakes and choices made by the person leads to progress and the developme nt of your individual self. He also argues that speech must be absolute because the onlyRead MoreFree Speech : The Benefits Of Freedom Of Speech805 Words   |  4 Pagesconjectured how the term freedom of speech is expressed? Freedom of speech is more than the ordinary everyday concept of the synchronization and harmony of speaking freely. In this response, we will strongly scrutinize origins and benefits regarding free speech, circumstances that may restrict free speech, free speech in Canada and determine protesters objection to Jordan Peterson. Without any hesitation, let us enact the importance of free speech concerning if campus debate should be permitted or notRead MoreFreedom of Speech Mill and Freiberg1505 Words   |  7 PagesMEANINGFUL FREEDOM Freedom of speech is the key element of the real democracies. Freedom of speech is also concerned to the idea that people can speak freely without being stopped, or censored. Freedom of speech is briefly hallmark of democracy because democracy is based on independent thoughts of people. In a democratic society people are allowed to express their views freely and peacefully. There will be no democracy if freedom of speech isnt granted to people. Where there is freedom ofRead MoreFree Speech vs Hate Speech Essay1647 Words   |  7 PagesFree Speech vs. Harmful Hate Speech Freedom of speech is instilled at the beginning of the Bill of Rights and it allows citizens of the United States to express their opinions without being afraid of what might happen to them, much like in other countries. Many times people are directly or indirectly harmed by others’ actions that are considered a right under the freedom of speech clause. Though, some people worry that if we do not allow for complete freedom of speech, it is hard to figure outRead MoreFreedom Of Expression Under Charter Framework1643 Words   |  7 PagesAnother important Supreme Court case that examined the reasonable limits on freedom of expression is R v. Whatcott. The Whatcott ruling also challenged the jurisdictional issues of free speech. William Whatcott, a Christian activist who advocated strongly against homosexuality and same sex marriage. Whatcott distributed several flyers in Saskatchewan that discussed political, social and moral issues. Many of these flyers heavily denouncing hom osexuality using strong offensive language denouncingRead MoreFreedom Of Speech : Free Speech1296 Words   |  6 PagesFreedom Of Speech In 399 B.C, the Greek Philosopher Socrates was persecuted for an early argument promoting free speech. Later on, The Protection of Speech was first introduced when the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, and in 1948, the United Nations stated that free speech is a human right and drafted into the international Declaration of Human rights.The government doesn t have the right to make a law abridging the freedom of speech because Free Speech is a form of democracy and it s a fundamentalRead MorePersuasive Essay On Hate Speech1612 Words   |  7 Pages In the name of free speech, hate speech should not be tolerated. Hate speech has devastating effects on the people and communities it is targeted at. Left unchecked hate speech can lead to harmful and violent effects. Over the past few years, the effects of hate speech used on women, homosexuals, ethnic groups and religious minorities have become more and more apparent. Hate speech can be very divisive in many of the situations it is used, depending on who interprets the expression can vary howRead MoreFreedom Of Speech Should Not Be Legal1644 Words   |  7 Pageslive in into a positive way. Freedom of speech is the right to express any opinion without being restrained by anyone, expressing ourself in part of being a person in that s what makes up who we are. We could believe in things,people or anything we have strong beliefs in. Students of any college should not be told by any any college officials what they can say and what they cannot say, they should be able to express any beliefs they feel strong about .students should be able to express what theyRead MoreLimits Of Freedom Of Speech1210 Words   |  5 Pagesprivileges. One of those rights and privileges we are grateful for is the very first amendment, and the first amendment is the right to freedom of speech. And the ongoing question is whether we should place limitations of the said amendment. My dad used to say â€Å"Without the freedom to offend we can not fully and entirely have Freedom of speech.† Freedom of speech should be limited due to the array of dangerous ways it can be used. Anything can be seen as offensive. If a song is deemed as offensive by