Tinker v. Des Moines: Students Are Entitled to Freedom of Expression of their views.

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During the winter of 1965, the Cold War had reached its peak, the Space Race was in full swing, and The Beatles became the world’s most popular entertainers. Meanwhile in Iowa, three kids made plans to protest the ongoing War in Vietnam by wearing black armbands to school on December 17. When the school authorities learned about this plan, they decided to punish anyone who was wearing the armband as part of the protest. When their parents decided to sue the school, what followed was one of the most hotly debated cases at that time. The case, dubbed Tinker v. Des Moines, established that all students did not lose their first Amendment rights when they went to school. It could be argued that the court’s decision was correct because everyone has their own opinions about the good and bad in society and have a constitutional right to express their approval or disapproval in a peaceful manner. On December 17, John Tinker, his friend Christopher Eckhardt, and his younger sister Mary Beth decided to Protest the ongoing war in Vietnam. The school eventually learned of this. Consequently, ...

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