Freedom of speech is quite possibly one of the most important tools we Americans are provided, but with great power comes great responsibility. For example, in the sixties, around the time of America’s controversial involvement Vietnam war, thousands of soldiers, black and white, were drafted into to the desperate and indiscriminate army. Now if you’ll recall this was also the time of extreme opposition and protest for black and “colored” rights. African Americans were angry with the government at the time and the way they were being treated at the time, but for the common good of their country, they did what the government told them was right, and went to South Vietnam to stop the communist North Vietnam advance into anti-communist South Vietnam.
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During the 1820s, the time when world war I raged, thousands of those using their Freedom of Speech. Expressed their opinions on the draft and the war in general. Sick of dealing with the complications of the protests, the Government came up with a law called the Espionage Act, stating that the people could not advertize of speak out in any way which got in the way of the soldiers following the draft or made the soldiers disloyal to the government. Still, under this law, the anti war protests raged on, landing thousands in jail or in a courtroom. One of theses protesters was a called Charles Schenck. As an anti war protester, Charles Schenck mailed out thousands of pamphlets giving reasons why the government shouldn’t go to war and how, in his personal opinion, they didn’t have the right to draft soldiers into the army. The government retaliated to this by taking Schenck into custody under the accusation or violating the Espionage act. When he was finally brought to court, he defended himself saying the Espionage act infringed upon his freedom of speech (American Bar Assoiciation. "Key Supreme Court Cases." N/A N/A N/A. American Bar Assoiciation Supreme Court Case Report. 10 2 2017.). While the trial did eventually come out to the decision that Schenck was guilty, this, I feel, was still and atamat example of taking freedom of speech too far without keeping the common good of the nation in
During the 1820s, the time when world war I raged, thousands of those using their Freedom of Speech. Expressed their opinions on the draft and the war in general. Sick of dealing with the complications of the protests, the Government came up with a law called the Espionage Act, stating that the people could not advertize of speak out in any way which got in the way of the soldiers following the draft or made the soldiers disloyal to the government. Still, under this law, the anti war protests raged on, landing thousands in jail or in a courtroom. One of theses protesters was a called Charles Schenck. As an anti war protester, Charles Schenck mailed out thousands of pamphlets giving reasons why the government shouldn’t go to war and how, in his personal opinion, they didn’t have the right to draft soldiers into the army. The government retaliated to this by taking Schenck into custody under the accusation or violating the Espionage act. When he was finally brought to court, he defended himself saying the Espionage act infringed upon his freedom of speech (American Bar Assoiciation. "Key Supreme Court Cases." N/A N/A N/A. American Bar Assoiciation Supreme Court Case Report. 10 2 2017.). While the trial did eventually come out to the decision that Schenck was guilty, this, I feel, was still and atamat example of taking freedom of speech too far without keeping the common good of the nation in