Why do we need freedom of Speech?

​

Freedom of speech is, in a sense, securing your right to watch TV.

​

What?! Why is there an amendment about watching TV?

​

Well, it isn't only for watching TV. It encompasses books, Internet, music, and so much more.

​

How does it affect all these different things - books, Internet, and music?

​

With regards to books, if there was no freedom of speech, some books would never get published. Take, for instance, that Congress issued a law that no one could read fairy-tale books because fairy tales can't come true. (Now, that is preposterous, but this is an example.) So then, what would happen to the stories by the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson? We wouldn't be able to read those books anymore.

​

So, if you can deduce anything from here, it is evident that freedom of speech matters because then no one can get in trouble for what they think.

​

Truly, no one can. In the Texas v. Johnson Supreme Court Case in 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that the burning of the US flag counted as an expression of freedom protected under the 1st Amendment. Gregory Lee Johnson was a member of a private company that was made-up of individuals who promoted the Communist movement. Johnson lit fire to the flag at the convention to protest capitalism and the way the government was being run. When he started burning the flag, he was immediately taken into custody and arrested by the police because it is illegal to burn something that was "respected." Johnson argued that it was against his 1st amendment rights to arrest him for the act, and also, it was not up to the government to define "respected." Ultimately, he won the case.

​

Did this make you mad? 

​

Since this man's actions are protected under the Constitution, what can you do, as a citizen, to prevent something like this from happening again?

​

Easy answer: You can't. You can't prevent anyone from doing anything. Just hope for the best, right?

​

Harder-but-worth-it answer: Be taught and teach! Andrew Carroll recounted what someone told him in his book, Here is Where. "I think the more that people, especially young people, know about where they live, the more pride and ownership they feel about the place, and the less likely they are to disrespect or vandalize it."

​

Learn. Become active citizens who cultivate what President Ronald Reagan called an “informed patriotism.” This means a patriotism that sees America’s mistakes, but not just her mistakes; a patriotism that recognizes that, while America may not have always lived up to her ideals, no other nation ever had such ideals to live up to. 

 

Teach. Later, in Reagan's farewell address, he recommended the following: "All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do."