Do We Really Have Freedom Of Speech?

1006 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Negative dangers of censorship

Do We Really Have Freedom Of Speech?

Is Freedom Of Speech a true thing? You might want to think again. Over the past couple of centuries it has changed. You used to be able to say anything and everything you wanted. Now you say something and you are immediately thrown in jail. Like what happened to Bradley Manning over the past year and a half. He released documents about military killing innocent people and what does our government do? They threw him in jail. The military did not comment on the situation because they knew it was true. He wanted people knowing what they did was wrong and he got in trouble for it. I do not see that they should have thrown him in jail. What my concern is do we actually have Freedom Of Speech? Are we allowed to put anything we want out into the world or get in trouble because we do?
That is what is wrong with the government. We really do not have freedom of speech and I think that its horrible. The first amendment is Freedom of Speech or Freedom Of Press, the first amendment was created on September 25, 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791, and it basically says that we the people are allowed to express our thought and not get into any trouble. It says exactly that Freedom of speech is the ability to speak without censorship or limitation. Also called freedom of expression, it refers not only to verbal speech but any act of communicating information or ideas, including publications, broadcasting, art, advertising, film, and the Internet. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are closely related to the concepts of freedom of thought and conscience. That means we are allowed to express what we want without being in trouble. Nowadays thats not the case. You get in trouble for expressing your o...

... middle of paper ...

...itary won't even comment on the situation. They know they are wrong and they won't say anything about it. Everyone wants to know everything we (The United States of America) do but when the truth comes out the people are not into it. They call him a traitor and say he should be killed because he released information that showed the wrongdoings of the military. Everything our government does bites us in the long run. Everything they do hurts us. They continue to spy on us and everyone that leaves and comes into the USA. They spy on other countries too. It is not right. It is not ethical.
As you can see, I think Bradley Manning is a true american hero and deserves to be out of jail. I think what he did is amazing and I feel like other people that witness things should speak up and not be scared. You should not get in trouble for Freedom Of Speech.

Show More
Related

  • We are Free to Be You, Me, Stupid and Dead by Roger Rosenblatt

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    Freedom of speech has been a controversial issue throughout the world. Our ability to say whatever we want is very important to us as individuals and communities. Although freedom of speech and expression may sometimes be offensive to other people, it is still everyone’s right to express his/her opinion under the American constitution which states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press”. Although this amendment gave people the right express thier opinions, it still rests in one’s own hands as how far they will go to exercise that right of freedom of speech.

    Read More

  • Book Banning and First Amendment Right

    1699 Words  | 4 Pages

    The First Amendment states that "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 to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (First Amendment Oct. 20, 2013). But "the First Amendment does not protect all speech from government censorship, and it does not prevent private non-government entities from censoring. Years of US Supreme Court decisions have identified exceptions to the general rule that the governments in the United States cannot censor" (Censorship Copyright © 2002). American citizen's right of freedom of speech should be held in the highest integrity and any kind of censorship of free speech should not be allowed because it take away those rights. However, censorship has been going on for centuries.

    Read More

  • Symbolic Speech Should Be Protected

    2507 Words  | 6 Pages

    1. The measure of a great society is the ability of its citizens to tolerate the viewpoints of those with whom they disagree. As Voltaire once said, “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” (Columbia). This right to express one's opinion can be characterized as “freedom of speech.” The concept of “freedom of speech” is a Constitutional right in the United States, guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution:

    Read More

  • The Importance of the First Amendment of the United States’ Bill of Rights for Democratic Government and its Citizens

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being expression one of the most important rights of the people to maintain a connected society right to speech should be accepted to do so. The first amendment is one of the most fundamental rights that individuals have. It is fundamental to the existence of democracy and the respect of human dignity. This amendment describes the principal rights of the citizens of the United States. If the citizens were unable to criticize the government, it would be impossible to regulate order. By looking freedom of speech there is also freedom of assembly and freedom of press that are crucial for the United States democracy.

    Read More

  • Essay On What Does It Mean To Be An American

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States of America is often known for having more freedom than anywhere else. As Gandhi said, “A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better and greater than a ‘yes’ uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.” Freedom of speech is a big part of the American culture and citizens are encouraged to speak their minds and opinions openly. It is such an important aspect of each American individual that it is

    Read More

  • Freedom of Speech

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine a time when one could be fined, imprisoned and even killed for simply speaking one’s mind. Speech is the basic vehicle for communication of beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Without the right to speak one’s mind freely one would be forced to agree with everything society stated. With freedom of speech one’s own ideas can be expressed freely and the follower’s belief will be stronger. The words sound so simple, but without them the world would be a very different place.

    Read More

  • America's Decline of Freedom of Speech

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    Freedom of speech is the right of civilians to openly express their opinions without constant interference by the government. For the last few years, the limitations and regulations on freedom of speech have constantly increased. This right is limited by use of expression to provoke violence or illegal activities, libel and slander, obscene material, and proper setting. These limitations may appear to be justified, however who decides what is obscene and inappropriate or when it is the wrong time or place? To have so many limits and regulations on freedom of speech is somewhat unnecessary. It is understood that some things are not meant to be said in public due to terrorist attacks and other violent acts against our government, but everything should not be seen as a threat. Some people prefer to express themselves angrily or profanely, and as long as it causes no har...

    Read More

  • Censorship in America

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since this country was founded, we have had a set of unalienable rights that our constitution guarantees us to as Americans. One of the most important rights that is mentioned in our constitution is the right to free speech. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the

    Read More

  • 1984 by George Orwell: The End of Freedom of Speech

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    Based on the First Amendment, the government may not exercise any activities that interference freedom of speech of an individual. For Americans, freedom of speech is clearly become the most basic freedom. Everyone has always thinks freedom of speech is a basic right that everyone automatically has when they were born; on the other hand, freedom of speech is experiencing serious growing pains.

    Read More

  • Freedom Of Speech

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States, free speech is protected by the First Amendment in which it states, “Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion … or abridging the freedom of speech.” Now, nearly 250 years into the future, the exact thing that the Founding Fathers were afraid of is starting to happen. Today, our freedom of speech is being threatened through different forces, such as the tyranny of the majority, the protection of the minority, and the stability of the society. Now, colleges and universities in the United States today are also trying to institute a code upon its students that would bar them from exercising their right to speak freely in the name of protecting minorities from getting bullied. This brings us into

    Read More

  • Defamation Law: Libel And Slander

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    The civil liberties that the American people have are inalienable rights. The most important of these is the freedom of speech. Yet freedom of speech is not entirely protected; using hurtful, false, or damaging speech is not allowed. But how can the American government control something as basic as speech? There are laws against libel and slander, but how are they perpetrated?

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Restrictions On Freedom Of Speech

    1917 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Bill of Rights has gained existence since December 15, 1791. Being supported mainly by anti-federalists, the Bill of Rights upheld what was needed to protect individual liberty. From the ratification we have our first ten amendments. The most important and used today is the first amendment. The amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting… petition the government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment is very powerful but cannot be overly abused. Over time the freedom of speech has been constricted. There are many court cases that display the limitation of free speech. Environmental factors and certain materials are not covered in free speech. To understand our rights and know how and when our rights are limited, we must

    Read More

  • Freedom Of Speech Should be Limited

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is more than clear by now that people have the right to believe what they please and to expose their thinking without fear, but is this an absolute freedom? Is there any limit to it? I believe there is. Freedom of speech is a base for American society, but so are other values, and when there is conflict between the freedom of speech and these values, the government tries to regulate or balance the situation.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Freedom Of Speech

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    First of all, what does Freedom of Speech mean to people? According to some, it is the

    Read More

  • Value Of Freedom Essay

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    As time goes on, it appears that the American people are slowly losing value of this freedom. It seems that “In our country we have [1] unspeakably precious [thing]: the freedom of speech and the prudence to never practice [it]” (Twain). Though the American people have been given the freedom of speech, they choose not to exercise it.This leads the government to attempt to censor this freedom “especially during times of national stress, like war abroad...” (ACLU). Since it is not evident that Americans value the freedom of speech, the government tests them to see how they will react. To see whether they will fight back. The point is that though the American people have been given the right to speak openly, they do not care to understand the usefulness of it, leading the government to test their resistance to the freedom of

    Read More

More about Do We Really Have Freedom Of Speech?

Open Document