One quality of the Bill of Rights that I think is very good is the First Amendment. In short, it states that “Congress can not establish laws that interfere with one’s free speech or religion*”. This is beneficial to all of us because it is…
Free Speech Essay Examples and Topics
Essay Examples
Essay Topics
Brief overview
Whenever the words, “freedom of speech” are spoken, they bring about much debate. Under Article 10 of the UK’s Human Rights Act of 1998, “everyone has the freedom of expression”. However, it is not as absolute as one would believe it to be as this…
We have seen a lot on the internet people fighting over a speech, even some press charges for not sharing the same perspectives and few people went to jail because of it. Then a question arises, if we believe in the idea of a free…
In the article “Campus Speech Restrictions”, Martin Golding argues that even if campus codes that are well-crafted, there are signification problems on the creation and applications of such codes. He proposes that campus codes can unfairly incriminated people who are not guilty of such charges….
Online falsehoods or fake news as they are commonly called refers to the “false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting”. With the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, people now have more avenues to get their news other…
Dated as far back as Ancient Greece, society has long debated whether freedom of speech should be in the hands of the people. In this regard, difficult and controversial questions need to be asked to uphold the public interest rather than the interest of just…
In 2005, Wallace address the graduating class of Kenyon College with a blunt speech that has now become one of his most well-known pieces. Wallace is trying to prepare his young audience for some of the situations they will be face in daily adult life….
The United States of America has fought for nothing less than life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. From the beginning, the citizens of the now-U.S.A. did not take kindly to those who took their unalienable rights – their freedom of speech, of religion, of…
The Checkers speech was done many years ago but still so important as it was then and now. The speech is about California Senator Richard Nixon that was shown on national television. Nixon had been chosen by President Dwight D Eisenhower to be his mate…
It is a Actual Truth recognized that William Shakespeare is arguably the perfect creator within the heritage of any further speech – and likewise this speech, too. In each nation on Earth at a plethora of languages on the platform, his performs are performed for…
We have all heard commencement speeches before. Usually the valedictorian or the principal stands up at the graduation ceremony and gives some words of advice for the new graduates. This is seen in Steve Jobs’ commencement speech to Stanford University in 2005. Jobs tells three…
Americans are concerned with correctness in terms of speech but only to a certain extent. I agree with journalist Robert MacNeil, but I do think that in some situations, correctness is more important than in other intimate situations. Although there are many dialects and accents…
Sitting and smiling is a series by YouTuber Benjamin Bennet, in which Bennet stares smiling at the camera for four hours without saying a word. His videos get thousands of views, and he has almost two-hundred-thousand subscribers. Ever since he began posting videos, people explored…
The Case of Bill ( I wouldn’t necessarily consider this an intro, but for my part of the paper it probably makes more sense to have this back story on Bill before going into my actual portion of the paper. I hope that makes sense.)…
Dr. Jeffrey Lidke was the speaker of an in-progress lecture about the religious tied of ritual and synesthesia. It was help on a Tuesday morning between 11:00-12:00 p.m. in Evans classroom 121. Though it was open to everyone, the majority of the audience was faculty…
Best topics on Free Speech
Main Ideas
Free speech or Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the right to freedom of expression. This principle is based on the freedom of an entire community as well as the individual. According to it, people should be able to articulate their ideas and opinions without legal sanctions, censorship, or retaliation.
Origin
Free speech predates the international human rights instruments of today. Some believe that this principle emerged in the form of the Athenian democratic principle in the late 6th century. It was vindicated by Milton and Erasmus and in the 1590s, free speech was claimed as an ‘’ancient custom of Parliament”. Freedom of speech was first adopted in 1791 in the US as a feature of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Cause
Free speech is not something absolute and there are many limitations and boundaries to it. However, this principle as well as the laws that exist to support it are created to allow people the liberty to speak up their mind without being victims of censorship, legal sanctions, and discrimination.
Outcome
- Freedom of speech is not just a principle, but something covered by constitutional law in many countries around the world. It includes any activity of receiving, seeking, or sharing information or ideas.
- Still, people aren’t at full liberty to share just about anything. Common boundaries and limitations to it relate to slander, libel, pornography, obscenity, sedition, fighting words, incitement, classified information, trade secrets, copyright violations, non-disclosure agreements, dignity, the right to privacy, public security, the right to be forgotten, and perjury.
Key Quotes
- “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice"
- “Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference”
Interesting Facts
Free speech is now a regional and international recognized human rights law. It is enshrined in article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, in article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in article 9 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and in article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights. Freedom of speech is categorized as a negative right, which means that while the government cannot take action against speakers that share their views, no one is obliged to help them publish them, or listen or agree with them.
Arguments for
- Freedom of speech promotes the exchange of ideas;
- It advances knowledge for societies;
- Free speech minimizes and eliminates discrimination;
- It can expose unlawful or immoral activities;
- Freedom of speech makes everybody equal.
Arguments against
- Freedom of speech is often the reason for spreading false information;
- It can incite violence;
- Freedom of speech can create mob mentality;
- It causes people to endure verbal abuse without consequences.
