123 School Work

Freedom Of Speech

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  Freedom of Speech:
  America's Most Important Constitutional Amendment
  
       "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."(1) The First Amendment of the United States Constitution is very clear; the Government should have no authority whatsoever to control what anyone says about any subject. Unfortunately the government has, at times, ignored this amendment and actually punished people for exercising their right of free speech. Although the language used is quite plain and should be easy to understand, there is still no general consensus on what exactly the First Amendment entails.
       The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees protection under the law to anyone who has views not supported by the majority. This, however, is not enforced as it should be. On many occasions in US history the government has punished its citizens simply for their beliefs and words. In the early 1920's thousands of people were removed from this country and actually deported solely because they expressed a political view that was different from the then current norm. (2) During this "Red Scare" US citizens were so terrified by communism that the government completely ignored the rights that had been guaranteed to anyone living in the United States. This is a theme repeated throughout US history; rights are rarely taken away unless the citizens are afraid enough to accept the consequences...