Tierney Baumann
Mr. Barnes
Period 1
4/17/23
The First Amendment
Hate speech has increased by 11.6% in the last 5 years. The first amendment allows hate speech. The first amendment is unfair, unjust and needs to change. The first amendment allows hate speech. This causes emotional pain, psychical pain, and an imbalance of power. The first amendment needs to be amended. However, some others feel that the first amendment is fair. They feel this amendment allows them to freely speak their minds.
Amendment one should change because it causes emotional pain for many. For example, “Hate speech causes emotional pain for its victims. It makes its victims feel less equal in society.” (What is hate speech?) This shows that the first amendment causes emotional pain to its victims. This can hurt and impact many in the future, “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.” (Fulgrum) The first amendment allows this. On the other hand, this amendment should stay the same. It should stay the same because the government shouldn’t be allowed to control what people say. America is a free country; we decided this centuries ago. For example, “A person may be disgusted
…show more content…
In addition, “victims of hate speech cannot speak as freely to defend themselves. For them, hate speech is a part of of a larger system of being treated poorly.” (What is hate speech?) This shows amendment one causes an unfair balance of power because it makes the victim feel less heard. The first amendment causes psychical pain for its victims. “53.1% percent of the hate speech crimes in the last 5 years have been violent and psychical.” (FBI National Press Office) This shows that more than half of the hate crimes have hurt people and might affect them for the rest of their lives. Hate speech is not okay. It hurts people beyond words and causes an unfair balance of power. Hate speech needs to be
Whether laws intend to limit the offensive power of a minority or protect a minority from attacks, either way rights are lost. In the words of Roger Baldwin, founder of the civil liberties union, “In order to defend the people you like, you have to defend the people you hate.” Roger Baldwin’s statement indicates that if we limit the free speech of one group we ultimately limit our own freedoms. The first Amendment clearly states the limiting of any groups right is unconstitutional, “make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” The basis behind not allowing the government to define free speech allows Americans to create their own social order and among themselves determine what is acceptable.
This amendment is so debated due to hateful groups and individuals trying to justify their hatred actions under the first amendment. The first amendment should
The first amendment is the Freedom of Speech, giving people the right to speak and act freely as long as it is not out of line. It also gives people the right to peacefully protest, but some people do take it out of line, as an example, the 2020 riots. These were supposed to be peaceful protests but ended up destroying hundreds of shops, restaurants, and
In my interpretation of the First Amendment, the rights of the people to freely express their opinions, even if unpopular, is clearly protected. Specifically, hate speech is not clearly defined and may differ between people. Individuals and groups can disagree on if specific issues may be considered hateful. Advocates of, what some may consider as hate speech, will likely disagree that their opinions on an issue would be considered hate speech. Protecting all speech, including hate speech, should only imply that the government is following the first amendment to not interfere or be prejudice against anyone expressing their opinions if done so with regard to other laws.
We’re able to express our political beliefs without being fearful that we might get sent to jail. Without this amendment, we wouldn 't be able to speak up for ourselves against the government whenever we
Written by James Madison, the first ten amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights sought to limit government power and protect individual’s natural right such as freedom of speech, religion, right to bear arms, and many more. Among these amendments, the First Amendment solely protects an individual’s right to speak and worship freely. However, although many individuals are supportive of these rights, discrepancies exist between the context of the extent to which type of speech the First Amendment should protect. These differences in ideology are largely responsible for the debate surrounding whether or not hate speech should be protected under the First Amendment.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1791, was a response to concerns about government power and the need to protect individual liberties. It guarantees the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition, which are fundamental rights essential to a democratic society. The founding fathers recognized that freedom of expression was critical to protecting individual rights and ensuring that the government remained accountable to the people. Today, The First Amendment is crucial for our current society because of the freedom of speech and individuality it gives its citizens.
The first amendment is the stepping stone for the way this country is built. The first amendment in the constitution is written as “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The first amendment defends the freedom to hold various beliefs and to express them. When the first amendment was written it was because it reflected the rights our framers did not have when our country was a part of Britain. The thought process was “They realized that religious discord can be explosive and cause tremendous
The Importance of the 1st Amendment In 1787 our founding fathers assembled the constitution of the United States of America. Of this which contains the most important document to the American citizen, the Bill of rights. The first Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances” These freedoms granted by the Bill of Rights are often known as freedom of expression. These rights are most important to a truly free society. The first amendment provides us with new ideas and dismisses the fear of punishment
These forms of speech aren’t protected by the First Amendment because they can help to incite people
The First Amendment Have you ever wondered what life in the U.S. would be like if we didn’t have the first Amendment? The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. This Amendment is what holds this country together. It’s what keeps us from rebelling against each other. The first Amendment has an extremely important role in the founding of the United States.
The First Amendment outlines free speech as the right to speak, write, and share ideas and opinions without facing punishment from the government. Without the Constitution, Americans wouldn’t have basic rights and their actions and decisions would be controlled, stressing the importance of free speech. Therefore, the limitations on free speech should be no more than that said in the First Amendment as further restrictions would eliminate the foundations of human rights and freedoms in a democracy, lower one’s knowledge of their individualism, and would ultimately suppress a peaceful society. Free speech may be discussed in a multitude of ways, both positive and negative. However, the idea of limiting such freedoms is either or.
Although hate speech is bigoted, hate-mongering, and can potentially lead to hate crimes, it should still be considered free speech. If citizens of the United States are not allowed to be verbal about their beliefs, whether or not they are offensive and hateful, then there is no use in allowing free speech. Placing limitations on free speech contradicts the First Amendment, therefore making it inaccurate and useless.
We can’t misuse the freedom of speech, saying words that can cause serious harm (bullying). This form of speech will cause depression, suicide, and stunted social development. When freedom of speech hurts others, then it is not just an opinion anymore; it is a form of hate
According to betterlesson.com they state that, “The cons of having the first amendment in place are that it also can bring out voices of hate, untruthful rumors and cyberbullying. Some individuals use the first amendment to spread hate and slander”. How would this impact or affect the people around the world? Well, this would impact teens or adults that are already dealing with hate, untruthful rumors or cyberbullying at work or at school, and when your bully can use freedom of speech, he or she can still hate on you and cyberbully at home