Free Speech Clause
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Free speech is a uniquely American doctrine that allows a citizen to say nearly anything he wants about any topic. Its basis is the Christian evangelism that characterized the American colonies in the period leading up to the American revolution. Even today the United States has the greatest freedom of speech of nearly any country in the world.
The jury acquittal of John Peter Zenger (1735) in the colony of New York played an important early role in expanding freedom of press and free speech.