Free Speech: The Importance Of The Freedom Of Speech

When the United States of America was formed, the founding fathers sought to create a nation in which its citizens’ rights were fully and rightfully protected under the law. Thus, the Constitution was written to ensure that these rights were noted and well established for the people, by the people. The First Amendment to the US Constitution states in part: “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (US Consitution, Am. 1) Freedom of Speech is one of the most rapidly developing aspects of the doctrine that our nation was built on and for good reason. The 20th and 21st centuries have brought about enormous changes in how we, as a people, …show more content…
Many are now wondering if the ability to say whatever we want whenever we want is actually harmful to the people. Currently, there are some restrictions on free speech in the areas of obscenity, child pornography, and fighting words and true threats. (Ruane 2014) These three categories have all had legislative restrictions placed on them and have been deemed unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. Many have taken these restrictions as an indication that Freedom of Speech is not as set in stone as we once thought, thus spurring a long-term debate on how and why free speech should be regulated. The question remains: does regulating free speech do more harm than good? Those who believe that regulation does cause harm might say that regulation decreases the voice of the minority and the availability to information, whereas those who believe that regulation is more beneficial to our society might say that some restrictions prevent emotional harm and aid us in a more truthful and accurate portrayal of