Freedom Of Speech Should Be Safeguarded

"Benjamin Franklin once said, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom - and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.” The principle of freedom has been put to test as speech and means of communication have changed over the centuries. However, we must never compromise our fundamental principles for convenience or false security.

Liberty is the cornerstone of American society. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees us five essential freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition. When faced with the 21st century problem of internet control, we must stay true to our Constitution. We must stand up for liberty by protecting the freedom of speech, especially from government oppression and control.

All constitutionally-protected speech should be safeguarded, regardless of if it’s a post on Facebook or a word spoken aloud. Freedom of speech allows us to build our society around a Marketplace of Ideas. As described by philosopher John

It is a place for people from various backgrounds to come together, share their perspectives, and gain a greater understanding about the world around them. Some of the ideas expressed may be controversial or radical, however government monitoring or suppression of these ideas isn’t the right answer. Radical or controversial are subjective terms, and to allow the government to censor based on subjectivity leads to the removal of liberties. In contrast, allowing all ideas to be shared exposes those ideas to the light of truth. Flawed or radical ideas can be evaluated and disproven; the ideas that society agrees are true will survive. You will not be able to prove a statement is false if you don’t address it. You cannot achieve the truth unless you have all ideas heard. Restricting free speech ultimately restricts the