Changes

You may agree with some or all of the expansions of free speech rights above.  In general, conservatives and liberals tend to support broad free speech rights, and for that reason free speech has greatly expanded.  Only pro-government moderates tend to oppose free speech in politics.  Can you think of an example of someone famous who opposed free speech?  (Answer: President John Adams and the Sedition Act; also Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in Schenck v. United States (1919), p. 346); note that kings tend to oppose free speech as well.)

You may agree with some or all of the expansions of free speech rights above.  In general, conservatives and liberals tend to support broad free speech rights, and for that reason free speech has greatly expanded.  Only pro-government moderates tend to oppose free speech in politics.  Can you think of an example of someone famous who opposed free speech?  (Answer: President John Adams and the Sedition Act; also Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in Schenck v. United States (1919), p. 346); note that kings tend to oppose free speech as well.)

Thumb through the famous cases at pp. 341-47 of the textbook and you will find very few that ruled against free speech.  Public schools do not allow full free speech (should it?).  On one hand, it is easy to see why we would not allow students to be able to say whatever they like.  Suppose they started talking about drugs?  Suppose they wanted to be rude to the teachers? On the other hand, students can now disciplined if they criticize evolution.  That’s not right.

Thumb through the famous cases at pp. 341-47 of the textbook and you will find very few that ruled against free speech.  Public schools do not allow full free speech (should it?).  On one hand, it is easy to see why we would not allow students to be able to say whatever they like.  Suppose they started talking about drugs?  Suppose they wanted to be rude to the teachers?

There is not free speech in the military, either.  If you insult your commander, then he is going to punish you for insubordination.  About twenty years before Japan sunk most of our ships at Pearl Harbor, General Billy Mitchell spoke out against how our top military commanders were leaving our navy unprotected against that sort of attack.  Later events proved him to be completely right, but at the time he was court martialed for insubordination and was both humiliated and forced to resign.  (After the Pearl Harbor attack and after Billy Mitchell died, our military admitted its mistake and reinstated his benefits).  Should there be free speech in the military?

There is not free speech in the military, either.  If you insult your commander, then he is going to punish you for insubordination.  About twenty years before Japan sunk most of our ships at Pearl Harbor, General Billy Mitchell spoke out against how our top military commanders were leaving our navy unprotected against that sort of attack.  Later events proved him to be completely right, but at the time he was court martialed for insubordination and was both humiliated and forced to resign.  (After the Pearl Harbor attack and after Billy Mitchell died, our military admitted its mistake and reinstated his benefits).  Should there be free speech in the military?