What Freedom of Speech means to me.

Many of our class periods have left me thinking about our constitutional rights as American citizens. One class period, however, struck me more than usual and still has me thinking weeks later. That conversation would be the one when we discussed the statistics on what common citizens know about our constitutional rights. It blew my mind at the percentage of people that could not even name a single right that we have protected by the first amendment. There are five options…and 40 percent of the country knew zero (according to the First Amendment Center survey results, http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/sofa). These are some of the simplest, yet most important freedoms that we have as Americans, and the majority of people could not even recognize that.

Freedom of speech is something that I am very fortunate to have. I do not take it for granted, and feel very lucky that I was raised in a society where it is okay to hold my own opinion. This is a lot of what makes people individuals. Maybe it is because I consider myself an amateur journalist, but I cannot imagine living in a place where I could be oppressed for trying to be myself and speak my mind. I just wish more Americans would recognize the amazing freedoms we are given in this country because many people around the globe are not as lucky as us.

After thinking about how many citizens in this country take our freedoms for granted, my thought process led me to begin unraveling what each of the five freedoms of the first amendment meant to me. Freedom of speech was the one that stuck with me for the longest amount of time. What exactly is freedom of speech in America? I believe that it is one of the most instrumental freedoms we possess. I know that in many parts of the world, they are not blessed with this freedom. I know that this is what allows me to hold opinions without being terrified that I will be tortured because of them. But then why is there such a gray area as to what speech is protected by law?

 Obviously, the first amendment states the following: “Congress shall make no law...abridging freedom of speech.” (www.uscourts.gov) However, in the past, this has not always proven to be exact. There have been times where congress has passed a law limiting certain ways of speech for the betterment of the common good. In fact, there was a period of history where freedom of speech was never upheld in the Supreme Court, even though it was considered a constitutional right. It seems a little unsettling to me that the court system can kind of decide what kind of speech is protected by the Constitution on a case-to-case basis. Think about it – what if the judges are in a bad mood on the day they have to decide the fate of a student trying to speak their mind? Could that have an influence?

Before 1920, the Supreme Court had yet to decide in favor of free speech. Some politicians of the time found this appalling, which resulted in the creation of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU, www.aclu.org). Although the ACLU today works to defend many more of our rights than just freedom of speech, it reassures me that there are people in our country that are working for the people. There are people in the U.S. that work to make sure our Supreme Court is upholding the laws appropriately.

It still bothers me (and probably always will) that close to half the citizens in our country couldn’t name a single right they have protected by the first amendment. The freedoms we have, especially freedom of speech, have always been something I’ve been grateful for and have, in a way, fueled my life. Knowing that I have protected rights have made me not only feel safe, but also proud to call myself an inspiring journalist. Would I have the confidence to speak out in such a public matter if I was afraid of government oppression? Absolutely not. Freedom of speech and the first amendment rights are merely one reason I am proud to be an American, I simply wish more people in the U.S. saw the importance in the same way I do.