Colleges always face a lot of scrutiny when it comes to how they are run. In recent years, the First Amendment has come into play on campuses across the nation. Many articles have been written defending both for and against restrictions, defending the use of trigger warnings in class, and explaining what this controversy is really about. While the colleges themselves have the power to choose what they do, they must consider what experience they want to provide for their students.
What is Free Speech? In 1791, the Founding Fathers created what we know today as the Bill of Rights. The first of these rights, known as the First Amendment, states:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise …show more content…
The First Amendment, like others in the Constitution, has always been a hot topic. People have debated whether it should be policed in certain areas, such as college campuses, or let to be used as pleased. The 60’s was a radical decade; headlines were being made left and right. There was the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and the space race. We had JFK, LBJ, and MLK. The United States was advancing through the ranks. In 1964, students at UC Berkeley were doing what college students do: having parties, learning, and getting involved in their country. They were forming clubs to express their interests. But one thing was lacking: politics. Many college administrations around the nation had imposed strict rules that were designed to keep politics off their campuses. It didn’t matter whether students wanted to protest or vote; it wasn’t allowed. On the UC Berkeley campus, students instead stood at the edge of campus on a sidewalk, handing out leaflets, speaking, and setting up their tables. When Berkeley moved the campus border, the students moved with it. The new sidewalk was narrower though, and it couldn’t handle as much activity. University President Clark Kerr decided to create a plaza inside the boundary for student political groups to operate on. This new area was supposed to be moved from the college to the city, but that transfer never happened, so the plaza, legally, stayed college property. This was in 1958. The plaza was used to recruit students for all sorts of political endeavors. In September 1964, the Dean of Students, Katherine Towle, wrote that students and other groups may not use the plaza for recruitment, soliciting, or otherwise passing out information. Student groups were enraged! They felt they had the right to express their views for others to hear. The students ignored her ruling and continued to set up their tables as before. They also moved to a
What is Free Speech? In 1791, the Founding Fathers created what we know today as the Bill of Rights. The first of these rights, known as the First Amendment, states:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise …show more content…
The First Amendment, like others in the Constitution, has always been a hot topic. People have debated whether it should be policed in certain areas, such as college campuses, or let to be used as pleased. The 60’s was a radical decade; headlines were being made left and right. There was the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and the space race. We had JFK, LBJ, and MLK. The United States was advancing through the ranks. In 1964, students at UC Berkeley were doing what college students do: having parties, learning, and getting involved in their country. They were forming clubs to express their interests. But one thing was lacking: politics. Many college administrations around the nation had imposed strict rules that were designed to keep politics off their campuses. It didn’t matter whether students wanted to protest or vote; it wasn’t allowed. On the UC Berkeley campus, students instead stood at the edge of campus on a sidewalk, handing out leaflets, speaking, and setting up their tables. When Berkeley moved the campus border, the students moved with it. The new sidewalk was narrower though, and it couldn’t handle as much activity. University President Clark Kerr decided to create a plaza inside the boundary for student political groups to operate on. This new area was supposed to be moved from the college to the city, but that transfer never happened, so the plaza, legally, stayed college property. This was in 1958. The plaza was used to recruit students for all sorts of political endeavors. In September 1964, the Dean of Students, Katherine Towle, wrote that students and other groups may not use the plaza for recruitment, soliciting, or otherwise passing out information. Student groups were enraged! They felt they had the right to express their views for others to hear. The students ignored her ruling and continued to set up their tables as before. They also moved to a