Should flag burning really be protected under the Freedom of Expression part of the Constitution? Many are here to argue that it should or should not be. The American Flag stands for the citizens of the United States, it represents all that we are as a nation. I feel that burning or destroying the flag in any way is very disrespectful towards the people who fight for this country. People are free to express themselves in many different ways, why does it have to be by burning the flag? Whether flag burning should be protected or not began to be questioned in 1984 when a protester, Gregory Lee Johnson set an American Flag on fire. He was punished with a fine and a jail term. He appealed and the case was sent to the Supreme Court to decide whether …show more content…
Now what would you say if someone did not stand during the Pledge of Allegiance? Both of these have equal significance, these things are very meaningful to us. Americans live in a free country, you are able to walk around and do basically almost anything you want. Around the world people struggle to find their own voice, they encounter many hateful situations. So if I was to see an individual burning the flag I would think that they do not even deserve to be here. If someone does not appreciate the country they are living in, what gives them the right to live in the U.S? They do not realize the liberties they are receiving and how disrespectful burning the flag is. People fight for us every single day! They lose their lives while they are at it. These people do it for us, they fight so their families and the nation can live in a free country. Burning the flag should not be allowed at all, I myself believe that people should be criminally punished or fined for burning the American Flag. This is such an ignorant and hateful act. The only way to preserve the flag’s special role is to punish those who feel differently about these matters, or to persuade them that they are
Opponents of the flag, on the other hand, recognize this racist connotation. They see the flag as a lingering emblem of a war that divided the nation and was fought in the name of slavery and
It is clear to see that flag burning causes tension, good tension as MLK would call it, that causes attention to be drawn to a topic and forces people to acknowledge the problem. Destroying the American flag is a powerful method of protest that says “This flag is useless because America is not what it is supposed to stand
Introductory paragraph “The flag is one of the most recognizable symbol of the United States.” During the case of Johnson vs. Texas, I believe that Johnson was exercising his rights to free speech but I truly think that he should have done it somewhere else then a public square, someone could have gotten hurt by the flames of the burning flag, or Johnson could have gotten hurt because he was burning the flag around people who love the United States flag. I agree with the fact that Johnson was sentenced to 1 year in jail, he burned the Flag in Texas and in Texas they have a desecration law of violating the flag. From my own point of view, I think Johnson wasn’t exercising his rights to free speech but, he did it in the most absolutely
The general argument made by author William J. Brennan in his work, “Majority Opinion,” is that it is legal to burn the flag if it is a form of political protest. More specifically, Brennan argues that we can not criminally punish people for burning a flag: the only thing we can do is convince them that they are wrong. He writes that they only thing we can do is “ Persuade them that they are wrong.” In this passage, Brennan suggests that criminally punishing a person for burning the flag will decrease the values of the flag by opposing the First Amendment. In conclusion, Brennan’s belief is that we should not punish people for burning the flag, but convince them that they are wrong.
Reasoning: (Brennan, J.) The majority of the Court, agreed with Johnson and held that flag burning constitutes a form of "symbolic speech" that is protected by the First Amendment. " A law directed at the communicative nature of conduct must, like a law directed at speech itself, be justified by the substantial showing of need that the First Amendment requires." The majority concluded that the Texas law impermissibly discriminated upon viewpoint.
The Court ruled that yes, burning an American flag was symbolic
A 5-to-4 decision held that Johnson's burning of a flag was protected expression under the First Amendment and all charges were dropped. In response to this ruling Congress passed the Flag Protection Act Of 1989. “The act states that ‘whoever knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.’ The act does not prohibit any conduct consisting of the disposal of a flag when it has become worn or soiled." (1989).
Are You A Rebel?: Reasons Why The Confederate Flag Isn’t Actually Demeaning Racist or history? Demeaning or heritage? Questions like these arise when the confederate flag is discussed.
The majority of the case argued it was protected by the First Amendment. In my opinion, even though it is protected under expressive conduct I feel it is wrong to take it out on a symbol of unity, the American Flag. Put aside the fact that people do it to get their point across but their
Finally, no I do not believe that the flag is a symbol of hatred or racism, but I do believe that some individuals do believe that, that’s what the whole history of the flag is based on. I believe that every individual should get solid facts/proof/knowledge on the topic and actually know what is going on, instead of believing everything that they hear and or see on the internet, TV, radio, ect… We already have enough problems in this world as it is. Know what you’re talking about and about your history before you open your mouth and make things an extremely bigger problem than it should
When a flag is presented in a rival that brings hate and discontent to America it should be removed from being displayed. I strongly am offended of the Confederate flag and my opinion is a lot of others are also offended. The constant reminder of the mistreatment and enslavement of the black race is still being suffered by black people today. The confederate flag brings grief to my heart as my ancestors were subjected to slavery.
When citizens of the United States stare up at their national flag - the 13 stripes and the 50 stars that represent the freedom their ancestors fought tooth and nail for - they probably fail to remember the lessons they were taught in school about the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the world wars. In these wars, men fought for their country’s freedom, tossing their own life behind them. Should the country that is being protected by brave men and women ignore their efforts and their struggles? No, and if they were to, they would have to hold no pride for their country, and even less for the struggles of their ancestors. One way America honors veterans is Veteran’s Day.
“…arguments that a flag that some see as a symbol of support for racism and white supremacy couldn’t remain on the capitol grounds after the Charleston massacre”(Jason Hanna and Ralph Ellis). The quote shows how others think the same. Others see the flag as a sign that the progress we have made is for nothing because others believe in racism and white supremacy. And I believe that it is unacceptable to show the flag that is wrong. It is more than just a piece of cloth it is a symbol of how we cannot agree on anything and there will always be people who are so
Should the Confederate flag be banned on public property? The Confederate flag is one of the greatest controversial, provocative icons of American culture, and even has a significant presence out of the country. There is proof to suggest that just observing the Confederate flag makes a person act fairly more racist. Some people believe that the Confederate flag is racist.
This action caused an upset among students. Some students are in conflict on how to feel with the demonstration. People should not be disrespecting the flag for any