Freedom Of Speech essays

Freedom Of Speech essays Imagine a time when one could be fined, imprisoned and even killed for just simply speaking ones mind. Speech is the basic vehicle for communication of beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Without the right to speak ones mind freely one would be forced to agree with everything society stated. With freedom of speech ones own ideas can be expressed freely and the followers belief will be stronger. The words sound so simple, but without them the world would bee a very different place. Without the right to speak freely one would not be able to debt, nor would one be able to receive full coverage on world issues. There would be no interesting newspapers, no free religion and no free thoughts. This amendment seems so simple but, the boundaries of which issues and incidents are covered are so complex and varied. What is legal and illegal? What can be said and cannot be said? Does this amendment include spoken word only or does it include action also? What, if any, limits should be put to this amendment? As long as the government has existed, people have battled over censorship. Censorship takes on all different shapes and forms: banning of books, television guidelines, laws that curb specific types of speech, and imprisonment or even death for openly speaking. For example, in sixteenth century England, a loyal subject of Henry VII was imprisoned for saying, I like not the proceedings of this realm.1 In earlier times this would have been punishable by death for treason. The need for freedom of speech was first brought up in Massachusetts Body of Liberties in 1641. After the Revolutionary War in America, many states recommend that free speech be put in the United States Constitution. Nevertheless, freedom of speech was written into the Bill of Rights and A few years after the First Amendment was ratified, the government passed the Sedition ...