Short Essay

 


Laura Contreras

Intro to American Government

Patricia L. Andrews

Oct. 18, 2020


The Bill of Rights was approved by the state and became part of the Constitution on December 15, 1791. We all know that the Supreme Court has the final say on how the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, should be interpreted. The Supreme Court likes where the freedom of speech ends and the right of society to be protected from certain forms of speech. The role of the Supreme court is considered “the guardian of our liberties”. But what does free speech mean?  And to what extent is free speech really allowed?  The first amendment (Freedom of Expression) is designed to protect the freedom to express all ideas, including those that may be unpopular or different. This first amendment means to protect not just spoken words but symbolic speech, speech involving actions, and other nonverbal expressions. Some common examples are a labor dispute, wearing a black armband in protest of government policy within others. Also, we need to know that not all speech is protected under the First Amendment. The types of speech not protected by the First Amendment include libel and slander, “fighting words,” and obscenity. (America at Odds)

What is considered libel and Slander? This means that no person has the right to libel or slander another. Libel is a published report of falsehood that tends to injure a person’s reputation or character and slander is the public utterance (speaking) of a statement that holds a person up for contempt, ridiculer, or hatred. Another form of speech that is not protected is “fighting words”. Those are words that, when uttered by a public speaker, are so inflammatory that they could provoke the average listener to violence. (America at Odds) Some examples are mentioned in the article, Dangerous hatred in the US? 

I agree with Rob Reynolds about “dangerous hatred”? and the reason is that hate is always dangerous. He is talking specifically about racism, there are many ways to see that racism is dangerous. There are many groups in the United States, “They are a motley group: white supremacists, Patriots, Sovereign Citizens, anti-Semitic Holocaust deniers, Neo-Confederates, Skinheads, Teabaggers, end-times prophecy adherents, birthers, Minutemen, New World Order conspiracists, Oath Keepers – the list is long and depressing.” (Rob Reynolds) But under the First Amendment all groups are guaranteed the freedom of assembly. But what is the Freedom of Assembly, basically is the right of the people “peaceably to assemble” and communicate their ideas on public issues to government officials, and well as to other individuals. Many groups are controversial because they are called hate groups. 






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Works Cited

            Reynolds, Rob. “Dangerous Hatred in the US?” Al Jazeera. Doha, Qatar.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2009/9/18/dangerous-hatred-in-the-us

 Accessed 10/13/20.

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