The Free Speech Movement (FSM) at the University of California at Berkeley started during the fall of 1964. (Freeman, Jo) But there were many events leading up to this point. The Free Speech Movement began to obtain momentum in the fall of 1963 and the spring of 1964 the Bay Area was rocked with the civil rights demonstrations against employers who practiced racial discrimination. (Freeman, Jo) These students believed that this was wrong and felt the need to do something about it. So many Berkeley students were recruited for these protests from Bancroft and Telegraph which where the companies that were racial discriminating against races and groups of people.(Freeman, Jo) With these protest there were many arrest made of Berkeley students there were about 500 arrests made over several months. (Freeman, Jo)
The Free Speech Movement was a college campus phenomenon inspired first by the struggle for civil rights and later fueled by opposition to the Vietnam War. (The Free Speech Movement) The Free Speech Movement sparked an unprecedented wave of student activism and involvement, one of such a great multitude that the college administration had no idea what to do with this entire activist, fighting and protesting for the same cause. (The Free Speech Movement.) With the administration not knowing what to do they banned all on campus political activities, out of fear that something bad was going to happen. (The Free Speech Movement) With this ban on political activities on campus a alumni of Berkeley set up a table right in the center of campus proper, with political information. (The Free Speech Movement) An Oakland Tribune reporter found out that this political activity was taking place on the campus proper; when word reached the camp...
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...re personal level and everyone feels that they can be a part of this movement somehow.
This is a movement like no other Occupy Wall Street has no known leader, they have no official set of demands of what they want. They are not sure what outcomes they want to have there is no one person who is the leader and talks for the group. Occupy Wall Street movement has been quoted saying “We are all the leader” (Gautney) Unlike the FSM movement where there were key leaders in the movement, the Occupy Wall Street movement is one that is run by the people that show up there and show their support to the movement. Another thing that separates the Occupy Wall Street movement is that each local organization that is officiated with them establishes their own goals, and practices that will work for them and the thing that they are trying to set forth in there movement. (Gautney)
Existing within the movement must be a leader or leaders, as well as a large number of committed followers or members. Additionally, social movements have “organizations or coalitions” working as a guiding backbone for collectivity and regulation (Stewart,
In the world today, Freedom of Speech is taken to a different level than what one may imply verbally. With social media, political debates, and the outpour of sexual orientation the First Amendment is exercised in its full capacity. Protecting Freedom of Expression on the campus is an article written by Derek Bok expressing his concerns regarding the display of a confederate flag hung from a window on the campus of Harvard University. The Confederate flag to some is a symbol of slavery and to others it is a symbol of war, or perhaps known as the “Battle Flag”. In this paper one will review Bok’s opinion of the First Amendment, clarity of free speech in private versus public institutions and the actions behind the importance of ignoring or prohibiting such communications according to the First Amendment.
According to Thomas Jefferson, all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights. Unalienable rights are rights given to the people by their Creator rather than by government. These rights are inseparable from us and can’t be altered, denied, nullified or taken away by any government, except in extremely rare circumstances in which the government can take action against a particular right as long as it is in favor of the people’s safety. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America mentions three examples of unalienable rights: “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. I believe these rights, since they are acquired by every human being from the day they are conceived, should always be respected, but being realistic, most of the time, the government intervenes and either diminishes or
Interestingly, it was not the protest itself that sparked the beginning of what became known as the free speech movement. Rather it was the reaction of the media and the government that encouraged the support of students throughout the country. What was intended to be a peaceful protest was portrayed to the country as evidence of a vast “communist plot.” Dubbed as “operation abolition,” a video of the protest was released, supposedly showing how the communist were now using students to achieve their means. The plan backfired; students were attracted to Berkeley by the droves, with a new sense of determination in tow.
Hall, K. (2002, September 13). Free speech on public college campuses overview. Retrieved from http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/free-speech-on-public-college-campuses
By involving these other groups of people, the issue becomes a much bigger known topic. The whole movement itself is a representation of the people as underdogs.
College campuses have always been the sites where students can express their opinions without fear. There have been many debates about the merits of allowing free speech on campus. Some students and faculties support allowing free speech on campus, while others believe that colleges should restrict free speech to make the college’s environment safer for every student. Free speeches are endangered on college campuses because of trigger warning, increasing policing of free speech, and the hypersensitivity of college students.
The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation marked one of many historic days in US history. The document was signed by President Abraham Lincoln, on September 22, 1862. It was a push to end slavery in the south. The Emancipation Proclamation changed society for the better, by giving blacks hope for a brighter future. The process was long, but slavery would be no more. It affected African-Americans, because they were going to finally have their freedom. It also affected the president because he, metaphorically speaking, signed his own death bill.
The United States rests upon a foundation of freedom, where its citizens can enjoy many civil liberties as the result of decades of colonial struggles. However, African Americans did not achieve freedom concurrently with whites, revealing a contradiction within the “nation of liberty”. It has been stated that "For whites, freedom, no matter how defined, was a given, a birthright to be defended. For African Americans, it was an open-ended process, a transformation of every aspect of their lives and of the society and culture that had sustained slavery in the first place." African Americans gained freedom through the changing economic nature of slavery and historical events like the Haitian Revolution policies, whereas whites received freedom
Earlier this month in April, student protestors rioted at Berkley University because they did not want certain Conservative guest speakers to be able to give speeches at the university due to some of the speakers comments being inappropriate. According to the nonprofit organization committed to defending civil liberties named The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), "One worrisome trend undermining open discourse in the academy is the increased push by some students and faculty to 'disinvite' speakers with whom they disagree from campus appearances" (The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education). While the protesters were practicing their first amendment right to petition, the students were infringing upon the Conservative speakers freedom of speech which is unconstitutional. Just because the protesters may have disagreed with the speakers comments, does not mean that theys hould have prevented them from being able to express them. This is similar to the novel 1984 because the protestors controlled and censored what was able to be said at Berkeley University, just like how in the novel the Thought Police controlled what citizens said just because The Party disagreed with certain perspectives and didn’t want certain information to be
...in scope and agenda, the news media, government, and the general public are currently unaware of the movement and it’s dealings.
People are very blessed to be able to share their opinion as freely as they can; it makes political activism so much easier. This current generation values every individual’s opinion and is very welcoming of change. People can use the internet, form an organization or write a book that forwards a political opinion in order to share what they believe in and affect the world around them greatly.
“Today I choose life. Everyday, when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it,” - Kevyn Aucoin. When you have freedom, you have a choice, a choice of whatever you want to do without anyone telling you otherwise. How would you feel with that privilege of what you do and how you feel, were taken away from you?
A blanket that a million of thread are weaved together is tight and stronger than a piece of a thread, which it’s weak and it can be cut at anytime. When a pieces of thread are weaved together, they turned to the blanket that is stronger and warmer.
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations and private individuals, and which ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the society and state without discrimination or repression.