Preview

Censorship in America

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1084 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Censorship in America
Censorship in America

Since this country was founded, we have had a set of unalienable rights that our constitution guarantees us to as Americans. One of the most important rights that is mentioned in our constitution is the right to free speech. "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 are the exact words used by our country's forefathers when they made these amendments in the late 1700's. Ever since then there have been people trying to abolish this right by censoring things that the American public has a right to see if they so choose. Movies, books, music, thoughts, ideas, and literature are all things that have fallen victims to censorship in this country. The idea and practice of censorship is unconstitutional and should be completely abolished in all forms. Many Americans love films, the meanings behind those films and the impact some films have on people's lives. Ever since films were created there have been people and organizations that have tried to censor and block what the public can and cannot see. Even to this day there are certain things that if put on film because of censorship, would never make it to the public. This is very sad. Film is one of this country's great expressive outlets. Many filmmakers and the people who enjoy what these filmmakers put out are effected by the horrible concept of censorship. When a film is put out to the public it is first reviewed by a movie rating board who then assigns the film a rating to tell people what age groups the film is suitable for and what the film contains. Movie selection for minors should solely be the responsibility of that child's parent, not some critic that watches films and then makes decisions for other people about who can watch it and who can't.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Hudgens V Labar Case Study

    • 2468 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Our constitution gives us the right under the First Amendment to the Freedom of Speech. This seems like a fairly straight forward right, but what many don’t know is that the Constitution only guarantees our right to freedom of speech against abridgement by government, federal or state. (Hudgens v. National Labor Relations Board, 424 U.S. 507 Lexis).…

    • 2468 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Spanish 2 answes

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Freedom of Speech is one of the most powerful amendments that we have as apart of the United States Constitution. Without this right many ideas, beliefs and inventions would not exist today and the majority of the society would be left in ignorance. This right is given to all American citizens and allows them to speak their minds, beliefs and ideas to anybody of people that are willing to listen to them. Though Freedom of Speech is considered a general terms that applies to all forms of speech, there are a few exceptions to the rule.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Amendment, Freedom of Speech could probably be considered one of the most powerful amendments of the Constitution. It is very important to distinguish the suitability of Freedom of Speech and its’ position under the First Amendment. The essay “Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus” presented by Derek Bok gives an example as to why this should be. In his essay Derek Bok responded to the presentation of the Confederate flag and the swastika by students at Harvard, with the expectation that the readers already have an understanding of what the phrase “freedom of speech” means to them as well as other people universally. “The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government. The Supreme Court requires the government to provide substantial justification for the…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression from government interference. This is one of the most important amendments in the constitution and is what America is most proud of. However, these rights aren’t all they are cracked up to be. For example, censorship is very common and goes against the freedom of speech. Censorship has many different roles in society both in the past and present. In the past it was used as a way for dictators to control their people and keep them from reading rebellious literature. Hitler even burned all books that he did not like.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Haac Pros And Cons

    • 2234 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Free speech, more than any other of America’s values, has been the touchstone of American democracy dating back to the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment, created in 1791, is so important because “without our basic and essential rights established by that first amendment, the others amendments would have little to no meaning and hardly any force.” It shows the creativity and innovativeness of American democracy. The Amendment states, “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.” However, almost from the moment the…

    • 2234 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Overall, as Roger Rosenblatt stated and explained in his article defending the freedom of speech, the United States must not procreate censorship of any greater extent on its citizen’s voices. In fact, “The Founding Fathers…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects five fundamental freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. These freedoms collectively form the bedrock of individual liberty, creating an environment where citizens can express themselves, participate in civic life, and hold their government accountable. Freedom of religion ensures that individuals have the right to practice their faith or choose not to, without interference from the government. Freedom of speech guarantees the right to express opinions and ideas, even those that may be unpopular or controversial; this freedom extends beyond mere verbal expression to encompass artistic, symbolic, and symbolic…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Intent of the Framers

    • 1618 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Freedom of speech is part of the first amendment which states, “You are free to say almost anything except that which is obscene, slanders another person, or has a high probability of inciting others to take imminent lawless action.” (Patterson, 2008, p. 98) With the freedom of speech it is necessary to put certain restraints into place. The government cannot restrict what people say unless there is a clear and present danger to other people from the voicing of the statement. The freedom of speech was originally intended to give people the right to voice their opinion without being taken to court for it as long as it did not hurt anyone. Currently freedom of speech is viewed as a way to allow people the chance to speak for themselves. By allowing this government is allowing people to have a say in their governance and not ruled by the government without their input. This allows us to have a say in our government and what is represented by us. In 1927, Fiske vs. Kansas was a case that helped to invalidate state laws that restricted expression. The events that changed freedom of speech over the years are the burning of the flag court case, the “pentagon paper” publishing, and other such events throughout the years.…

    • 1618 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Table of Contents Censorship in American Public Schools; Two Examples: The Catcher in the Rye and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I. II. Purpose Introduction a. A Brief History of Censorship b. First occurrence of censorship in America III. Censors a. Teachers as Censors b. Parents as Censors c. Librarians as Censors d. Effects of Censorship on Students IV. Censorship a. Reasons Books are Censored b. First Amendment and Free Speech V. VI. Censoring Two Classics Censorship of The Catcher in the Rye a. Language b. Sexuality c. Reasons to Teach VII. Censorship of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a. Language 1 1 2 3 3 5 7 8 9 12 13 13 15 17 18 20 22 23 25…

    • 9094 Words
    • 37 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Censorship In Canada

    • 1749 Words
    • 7 Pages

    As you browse through the internet, watch television, listen to the radio or even walk down the street, there is something occurring that we take for granted; speech. We take speech for granted because of its freedom in this country and the lack of censorship we have on our words. Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information that is considered by some as objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient. Censorship is most often imposed by governments; however, it is detrimental to democracy and the freedoms we all desire. This thesis will look at how censorship violates privacy laws and Canada’s Charter, is detrimental to the development of new ideas, and how it ultimately ensures…

    • 1749 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The First Amendment guarantees every American’s right to the free exchange of ideas, beliefs, and political debate. The First Amendment of the Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law… 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" (National Archives and Records Administration 2001). We have the right of freedom of speech and by definition, this means that we have “the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint” (Dictionary). This law is stated in the Bill of Rights and has been around since 1971. It is one of the oldest and most important amendments we adopted because as American people we have a…

    • 1792 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first amendment states, "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."…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 1789, James Madison first proposed a set of documents that gave certain inalienable rights to Americans. On December 15, 1791 the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution were ratified and became known as the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment of the Constitution is the most sacred to Americans. It says that, “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”. If we didn’t have these freedoms then America would not be what it is today. It is important that these freedoms are preserved and protected so that future generations can thrive and lead this country. In the following law review article, the issue of freedom of speech in the classroom is examined. This is an important topic because if the freedom of speech or expression is taken away from students, aren’t we taking away the chance for students to learn?…

    • 2102 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Everyone has something about them that makes them unique, whether it’s not wanting to step on the cracks while walking because you’re scared you may break your mothers back or not eating green things because well their gross; we all do things others might consider weird. Mine is giggling! Being the younger of two older brothers I never really got to say much, so I would sit in the stroller and just watch and giggle because they would always do silly things. As my brothers got on rides I wasn’t tall enough to get on at Disney I would wait crying because I felt excluded but after they got off the ride and walked up to me the tears stopped and the giggle started. Everyone knew my giggle growing up, my mom used to say she could…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first amendment: freedom of speech is violated with censorship. In the ALA Library Bill of Rights, parents, and only parents, have the right to prohibit or control what their children read. Freedom of expression and of opinion is for everyone, not just for the people that the majority thinks are right. In 1953, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas said, “Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could easily defeat us,”(Quotations: First Amendment, Censorship…). This shows that even the government can see the harmful effects of book banning. Furthermore, “the school alone has the final say in what books are appropriate for the children under its care to read,…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics