StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Freedom of Speech and a Free Government - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper “Freedom of Speech and a Free Government” seeks to evaluate the concept of a free government, which would have to be protected by a constitution created by elected representatives. The concept of a free government would have to be based on the will of the citizens…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.4% of users find it useful
Freedom of Speech and a Free Government
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Freedom of Speech and a Free Government"

Freedom of Speech and a Free GovernmentWithout knowing how our free government came about, it is impossible to understand the meaning of the term, free government. The call to convention for the purpose of devising and discussing all provisions for a constitution went out on October 16, 1786. The citizens of the new country knew that they had to have something in place that would provide for a free government instead of the loose confederation they had in place. It was realized that most of the problems being experienced by the new federation or union of states were of an economic nature and could be solved only by a common venture or government.

James Madison for one read the tenor of the times and knew it was time to preserve the union they now enjoyed. A representative government was the only thing that would solve the collective problems of the union. The entire concept of a free government would have to be protected by a constitution created by elected representatives. The whole concept of a free government would have to be based on the will of the citizens who would choose representatives to a two house government which would provide for the governmental needs of the union.

Something had to bind the people together for a fee government to work and that one thing turned out to be the separation of church and state. (Joseph Smith, 1987). The government as created by the representatives would be composed of three branches. The executive would be the leader of the entire union supported by a two house legislature, and a system of judiciary would make sure the laws of the legislature would follow the constitution. Involved in the constitution would be a set of rights that each individual would be guaranteed to remain unchanged without a convention to amend the constitution.

(Joseph Smith 1987).The First Amendment of the American Constitution is perhaps one of the best known governmental documents of all time. The concept of free speech must be guarded for all times and for many different reasons. The very existence of our self-governance is based on our ability to speak freely about almost anything we would care to address. Free speech allows a person the autonomy of being one in search of whatever his idea of truth might be. One of the areas that free speech is universally held as sacred is the freedom of religion or even the freedom from religion.

(Matthew D. Bunker, 2001).One of the interesting facts of life is that the Supreme Court has never decided what free speech is. The court has allowed that free speech is associated with the search for truth. Even unpopular opinions are allowed the right of free speech. Freedom of speech is very important in the development of political stances that individuals might take. Through freedom of speech various ideas can be developed and debated in order to establish a defensible position. It has been said that the right to express ourselves and the right of others to hear us contributes to the ordinary happiness of human beings, in general.

With that being said, there are things not protected by freedom of speech. One cannot obstruct the recruiting or enlistment for people to serve in the military. Libelous talk or press and false advertising are also restricted. In general it is not permissible to wear gang colors to school or to wear anything that promotes hatred. Also not covered by free speech are personal threats of violence made against a government worker or an educator. ReferencesJoseph Smith. (Ed.). (1987). The American Constitution: The First Two Hundred Years, 1787-1987.

Exter, England: University of Exter Press. (Original work published 1987)Matthew D. Bunker. (2001). Critiquing Fee Speech: First Amendment Theory and the Challenge of Interdisciplinarity. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates. (Original work published 2001)

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Freedom of Speech and a Free Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/social-science/1419693-freedom-of-speech
(Freedom of Speech and a Free Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/social-science/1419693-freedom-of-speech.
“Freedom of Speech and a Free Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1419693-freedom-of-speech.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Freedom of Speech and a Free Government

Religious Diversity in Saudi Arabia and the USA

Saudi Arabia offers lesser freedom of religion to the residents as compared to the USA.... Another factor that elaborates lesser freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia than the USA is the fact that there are no churches in Saudi Arabia whereas in the USA, there are churches, mosques, synagogues, and Temples to entertain the religious needs of all of the communities that make part of the American society including the Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus etc.... government may impose restrictions but they are for other kinds of reasons like saving power, and are not grounded in any religion....
4 Pages (1000 words) Speech or Presentation

School safety laws

The stake holders that involve even the government should create peace of mind and have control of school safety.... The government has realized the need for school safety and has ended up passing numerous ant bullying laws especially in some states such as California, Arkansas states.... The central government has established laws such as First Amendment which ensure provision of equal protection to the students.... The US Supreme Court afforded students First Amendment freedoms but held that some rights may be restricted in that the freedom should be applied in a manner that attempts to balance free speech rights as well as the necessity to grant safe learning conditions....
3 Pages (750 words) Speech or Presentation

Why the citizens of Turkey are against the government

Many people believed that Turkey was moving towards better government, a democratic government.... … Why the Citizens of Turkey Are Against the government Your Name Instructors Name Course Name Due Date Many people believed that Turkey was moving towards better government, a democratic government.... Why the Citizens of Turkey Are Against the government Due Many people believed that Turkey was moving towards better government, a democratic government....
2 Pages (500 words) Speech or Presentation

Students Parking Should Be Free

Topic: Students Parking Should be free Specific Purpose: The purpose of my speech is to delineate prudent facts to my audience regarding student parking.... Organizational Pattern: Topical Intended Audience: COMM 101 Class Thesis Statement: There is a need for colleges and universities to provide students with free parking facilities.... Transition: Thus, today I will talk about the reasons for which parking should be free for students.... Accordingly, there is a requirement to understand the urgency of parking for students with those individuals who do not necessitate parking (Living Economics, “Should parking be free”)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Speech or Presentation

Is Social Networking Bad or Good: An Argument

This paper declares that the common belief states that nothing is bad or good in itself but its use is going to determine its status on a moral ground.... The humans are missing the basic and fundamental essence of interpersonal and group discussions.... hellip; According to the sreech the social media is growingly become a hive of misconceptions and misunderstandings as people are getting more and more interested in sharing the information without verifying its origins and authenticity....
5 Pages (1250 words) Speech or Presentation

African American Slavery

As a result of this emancipation, slaves were now free to engage in other work of choice.... The objective of the present document "African American Slavery" is to provide an overview for a speech aimed to spread the awareness of the history of slavery in America.... hellip; This speech will make us understand the achievement of African Americans through their kinfolks who endured slaves to receive honor—freedom.... The end of slavery represents a combined effort from some white people who believed in freedom....
2 Pages (500 words) Speech or Presentation

Speaking the Government to Own Public

With greatest pride and delight, I want to thank you all for being with me in all the ups and downs that the government has been seeing during the past few years.... With greatest pride and delight, I want to thank you all for being with me in all the ups and downs that the government has been seeing during the past few years.... The writer of this speech discusses the progress that people are achieving in almost all the field of professional life....
1 Pages (250 words) Speech or Presentation

Abolish Death Penalty- Justice Shouldnt Be So Inhuman

It is indeed sad and regrettable to acknowledge that in a free and democratic country like America, the death penalty is not only legal and constitutional.... No matter how serious or grave a crime committed by a person may be, taking away the life of an individual in a legally sanctioned manner does not suit a free and democratic nation.... This paper 'Abolish Death Penalty- Justice Shouldn't Be So Inhuman" focuses on the speech which opens with the following: dear friends, teachers, and the present guests, today what I am going to speak about, happen to be something that is very serious and important....
8 Pages (2000 words) Speech or Presentation
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us