Free Speech

Free Speech research papers point out that one of the greatest things about being an American is the number of freedoms such a title guarantees. American citizens enjoy a wide number of freedoms, one of them being the right to express themselves without the fear or threat of censorship by the government. During the last several decades, the right to free speech has been challenged by a number of entities. The reasons behind these challenges include:

• The desire to protect minority populations
• The need to prevent the spread of ideas based on racism and hatred
• The need to protect children and teens from accessing damaging or immoral information
• The need to protect national interests.

While those who seek to restrict the freedom of speech have many valid concerns, these concerns do not override the need to protect the freedoms as given by the the United States Constitution. As argued by many, a civilized society is obligated to allow its citizens to speak their minds without fear of prosecution or censorship.

Free Speech in the US

In the United States, individuals are guaranteed the right to free speech by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Since that time, various entities have argued for the restriction of this freedom. While the reasons for restricting free speech vary according to the group or individual making the argument, most of them pertain to protecting those deemed incapable of protecting themselves.