Symbolic Speech Freedom Of Speech - 1320 Words

Freedom of Speech: To Kneel or Not to Kneel? Symbolic Speech: Whether tis Nobler to Ignore the First Amendment Introduction The inspiration for my topic came from our first assignment, the MTU Constitutional Essay Contest, and the NFL kneeling/National Anthem controversy. The extent of the public outcry and the divisiveness it has caused baffles. Kneeling during the playing of The National Anthem at widely viewed sporting events seems like a perfect and peaceful way to bring attention to a societal problem. It is freedom of symbolic speech at its finest. And it is nothing new. Americans have been engaging in symbolic political speech since before we even had a Constitution to protect it. Colonists threw tea in the Boston†¦show more content†¦I actually used two queries for the 9/11 analysis. QUERY ONE: Step 1: Freedom of Speech and flag-burning (English Only) = 448. Step 2: Narrowed to articles in the United States = 63. Step 3: Those written after 9/11/2001 = 46 Step 4: After reviewing the titles and abstracts, refined to = 29 I experimented with several different sequencing of search logic. At first I used symbolic speech instead of flag-burning, but the results were too large for the purposes of this paper. The search logic above worked best for the limits of this paper. QUERY TWO: Step 1: Freedom of Speech (English Only) = 306134 Step 2: Narrowed to articles in the United States = 32986 Step 3: Those written after 9/11/2001 = 26503 Findings In Query One, of the 448 English language articles that included both Freedom of Speech and flag-burning, sixty-three of them were located in the United States. Of those articles, forty-six were written after 9/11 representing 73%. In the even broader sample of Query Two, 80% of the articles were written post-9/11. After reviewing titles and abstracts of Query One, an additional seventeen articles were eliminated leaving twenty-nine for analysis. Of the twenty-nine articles, not surprisingly over 40% were law review articles. Discussion/Conclusion Whether burning or bedazzling it, we use the flag as a means of symbolic speech. There is no question that there has been an increase in displaying the flagShow MoreRelatedSymbolic Speech And Its Impact1454 Words   |  6 PagesLightfoot 15 November 2015 O’Brien v. United States: Symbolic Speech and Its Impact Symbolic speech is a type of speech used to express one’s ideas. The notion of symbolic speech is protected in the United States constitution which evidently says: â€Å"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...† (U. S. Constitution). The freedom of speech represents one of the most vital amendments inRead MoreFreedom Of Speech By The Bill Of Rights Essay1340 Words   |  6 Pagescontroversial topic that many protested for was, freedom of speech. 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This will give you more confidence when you re talking about current events, it ll inhibit social interaction, but the biggest reason of all is understanding your right s will keep you out of jail. Even the supreme court struggles to determine what exactly constitutes protected speech. When trying to see if your covered by the first amendment, certain questions have to be displayed. AreRead MoreThe Case Texas V. Johnson782 Words   |  4 Pagesvenerated object. He was convicted, sentenced to one year in prison, and fined $2,000 (Texas v. Johnson (1989), Bill of Rights Institute) Johnson first appealed his conviction to the fifth Court of Appeals of Texas, arguing that his actions were â€Å"symbolic speech† protected by the First Amendment. However, he lost. Then he appealed the case to Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the court overturned his conviction. And it asked the Supreme Court to hear the case (Texas v. Johnson, Encyclopaedia Britannica)Read MoreTexas V. Johnson. The Case Texas V. Johnson Happened In774 Words   |  4 Pagesvenerated object. He was convicted, sentenced to one year in prison, and fined $2,000 (Texas v. Johnson (1989), Bill of Rights Institute) Johnson first appealed his conviction to the fifth Court of Appeals of Texas, arguing that his actions were â€Å"symbolic speech† protected by the First Amendment. However, he lost. Then he appealed the case to Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the court overturned his conviction. And it asked the Supreme Court to hear the case (Texas v. Johnson, Encyclopaedia Britannica)Read MoreThe First Amendment Of The United States Constitution915 Words   |  4 PagesBackground 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 45 words of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution embody some of our most important ideas about the meaning of liberty. A nationally recognized leader in the field of law related citizen educationRead MoreIs Flag Burning Protected By The First Amendment?1617 Words   |  7 Pagesrespecting 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 to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. This freedom of speech clause as included in the First Amendment guarantees the citizens of America to express information and ideas freely. But is all form of speech free? 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