The Freedom of Speech

By: Serene Hwang

The U.S. Constitution signed in 1787 is arguably one of the most defining pieces of American history. It laid the foundations for our country’s government and laws. Today, many of us enjoy the freedoms that we have in this country without giving much thought to the first few amendments that allowed them to us. The first amendment is as follows: “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.” In colloquial terms, this law gives American citizens the freedom to speak their minds. This was ground-breaking in the 17th century, but times have changed. Over 200 years later, there is a need for our country to reevaluate what we stand for. 

The freedom of speech is what allows our country to advance. It supports open discussion, education, and growth as a society. The First Amendment is why we are not punished for differences in beliefs or values. In recent times, the BLM protests are a good example of people exercising their right to speak up; citizens notice a flaw and demand a positive change within the system. However, the First Amendment protects all forms of speech, whether it is productive or harmful. According to the constitution, a racist calling an Asian immigrant “ling ling” is given the same protection as a women’s rights activist fighting to close the wage gap. Is there a difference between benign and dangerous conversation? If so, where do we draw the line?

According to U.S. laws, a threat against a single person is considered illegal but when that threat is aimed at a larger group, it is considered an opinion. This makes a lot of room for dangerous people to protect their bigotted agenda with the justice system. Rewording hate to be acceptable in the eyes of the American court is a simple feat that anyone can learn to do. Just turn “I want to send my co-worker to a foreign country and get rid of them” to “I wish all immigrants would be deported back to their country” and one could mold a potential crime into a political view. Our country needs to stop protecting bigotry. Continuing this reckless path will only lead America back into what it was hundreds of years ago, full of prejudice and inequality. We must progress forward, not regress backward. 

So what must be done? When a person writes a paper, it is constantly revised and edited to make it better. Fixing mistakes and adding details, the author slowly breathes the piece of literature to life. That’s what the Constitution essentially is. Past the historical context and importance of the amendments, they are, quite literally, a couple sentences scribbled into paper. Essentially, America needs to go back to the Constitution and edit it. Our country has to define what it allows and what it rebukes, and this starts with adding some new details into the First Amendment. Erasing the period and inserting a semicolon, we can move our story forward.