First Amendment

No other democratic society in the world permits personal freedoms to the

degree of the United States of America. Within the last sixty years, American

courts, especially the Supreme Court, have developed a set of legal doctrines

that thoroughly protect all forms of the freedom of expression. When it comes to

evaluating the degree to which we take advantage of the opportunity to express

our opinions, some members of society may be guilty of violating the bounds of

the First Amendment by publicly offending others through obscenity or racism.

Americans have developed a distinct disposition toward the freedom of expression

throughout history. The First Amendment clearly voices a great American respect

toward the freedom of religion. It also prevents the government from

"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." Since the early history of our country, the protection of

basic freedoms has been of the utmost importance to Americans. In Langston

Hughes' poem, "Freedom," he emphasizes the struggle to enjoy the

freedoms that he knows are rightfully his. He reflects the American desire for

freedom now when he says, "I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot

live on tomorrow's bread." He recognizes the need for freedom in its

entirety without compromise or fear. I think Langston Hughes captures the

essence of the American immigrants' quest for freedom in his poem,

"Freedom's Plow." He accurately describes American's as arriving with

nothing but dreams and building America with the hopes of finding greater

freedom or freedom for the first time. He depicts how people of all backgrounds

worked together for one cause: freedom. I selected Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

as a fictitious example of the evils of censorship in a world that is becoming

illiterate. In this book, the government convinces the public that book reading

is evil because it spreads harmful opinions and agitates people against the

government. The vast majority of people accept this censorship of expression

without question and are content to see and hear only the government's

propaganda. I found this disturbing yet realistic. Bradbury's hidden opposition

to this form of censorship was apparent throughout the book and finally

prevailed in the end when his main character rebelled against the practice of

burning books. Among the many forms of protests are pickets, strikes, public

speeches and rallies. Recently in New Jersey, more than a thousand community

activists rallied to draft a "human" budget that puts the needs of the

poor and handicapped as a top priority. Rallies are an effective means for

people to use their freedoms effectively to bring about change from the

government. Freedom of speech is constantly being challenged as is evidenced in

a recent court case where a Gloucester County school district censored reviews

of two R-rated movies from a school newspaper. Superior Court Judge, Robert E.

Francis ruled that the student's rights were violated under the state

Constitution. I feel this is a major break through for students' rights because

it limits editorial control of school newspapers by educators and allows

students