The U.S. society and government are built on the right to expression of free speech. During the early formation of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson, and Madison emphasized and fought for the citizens to have freedom of speech by eradicating the Sedation Act which limited the peoples right to criticize the government. With the fear of totalitarianism returning, they believed without this freedom the democratic approach would crash and burn. This is why the First Amendment was established as the acting rule in the American government; which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abiding the freedom of speech, of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". A society that works together sharing the voice of many will accomplish far more than a society with one voice to lead the decision-making for all.
The First Amendment initiated the protection of the people meaning: freedom from religion, of religion; of speech, of the press; of assembly, to petition. Thus various theories based on the merit of eight key values of free expression came to fruition those being;
2. Participation in Self-Government
3. Stable Change
4. Individual Self-Fulfillment
5. Check on Governmental Power
6. Promote Tolerance
7. Promote Innovation
8. Protect Dissent
When analyzing and reflecting on why freedom of speech is of the utmost importance I believe these four values are worth highlighting in depth: John Milton's Marketplace of Ideas, Benedict Spinozas Stable Change, Jack Balkins Promote Tolerance, and Steve Shriffins Protect Dissent.
Most Important: Promote Tolerance
In a country where freedom of speech is happening daily people need to understand the importance of disagreement in discussion. Bollinger's value in Promote Tolerance is the most important value in my opinion. Yet, I see this value to be fading as the world becomes more sensitive to contradicting ideals. Anger and fear are the two leading emotions to ignite change in a person and though I am not encouraging people to get angry, I believe it is crucial to find people with different beliefs in order to tolerate all ideas. The protection of hate speech in the First Amendment is a deliberate attempt to welcome all ideas and all shortcomings in order to spread the norms and teach right from wrong. This is thought it was Bollinger suggested in the value to Promote Tolerance. We should not live in a society that fears hearing or saying personally upsetting, or hateful speech; for it will only bring about proactive thinking and productive change for all.
Most Personal: Marketplace of Ideas
When I ask myself which one of the eight values is most personal to me I choose the Marketplace of Ideas, also known as the Discovery of Truth suggested by Milton, arguing truth and falsehood can not co-exist. This value reminds me of the Cognitive Dissonance Theory molded by Leon Festinger an American psychologist discussed in a persuasion class I recently completed. Festinger's theory teaches that you can not have beliefs and behavior in contrast for too long before guilt wins. This compares to Milton's value because it is believed truth will always win out in grappling with falsehood, in fact, falsehood builds on the strength of truth. I feel this value paved the way for freedom of the press.
Furthermore, this value is personal to me because it allows me to have access to write this blog with my truths without a license required. Similar to the voice social media today gives people. In a world where the line between truth and falsehood is beyond washed out, having the freedom to write and read others' truth gives me hope for an honest future because once the fact is written in ink it can not be erased.
In Action Today: Stable Change / Protect Dissent
Two values that I believe go hand in hand and are commonly seen in society today are Stable Change suggested by Spinoza and Protect Dissent suggested by Shiffrin. The idea of Stable Change not only is a safety valve for our society to prepare for potential threats and uproar but also allows people to speak their minds. We see this today all the time with protests for what people believe is right that contradicts the government. What comes to mind is when the world was in turmoil over police brutality. Spinoza's value allowed for controlled protesting when there could have been a greater threat if people felt the need to act clandestinely. To complement Stable Change is Protect Dissent, the protection of all ideas regardless of popularity. I think of all the minorities that have risen up and spoken up for what they believe in. A prime example would be the LGBTQ+ community, though neighbors, churches, or states might not agree with the values of the LGBTQ+ community. The LGBTQ+ people are allowed to criticize and question the (dare I say) 'norms' without the fear of punishment and that is exactly what the value of Protect Dissent entails.
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