Blog #3: Free Expression

 

Freedom of Expression is defined as, "Freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition." This is protected by our First Amendment. The Supreme Court also values and protects freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is what allows we the people to have there right to vote. 

However, freedom of expression has not always been that easy. For example, war has caused national panic and freedom of expression of course stood the ultimate test. People at a point in time acting on their first amendment rights ended up taking a risk, as some were thrown in jail or fined. In an article I read on Freedom of Expression they used the example from WWI where people were thrown in jail for giving out anti-war leaflets. Of course, from this our First Amendment law developed and our Country today is still the most speech-protected country. 

When looking at the eight values of free expression, the one that resonated most with me was individual self-fulfillment. What I value most about our country is the right we have to individually express our own beliefs and opinions. I feel this is important as the United States is a democracy and in a democracy, freedom of speech is key. The power is given to the people and not one individual, thus the freedom to express opinions and values are important in developing our society. Thus, to make sure our freedom of speech is protected, the United States has put together laws in order to make sure each individual is free to express themselves. That is why the First Amendment is so important as it protects our right in freedom of speech. This individual self-fulfillment to express ourselves is very important and personal to me, as because of our speech being protected in America we are able to worship freely. I grew up in a christian family and have attended church all of my life. The freedom to express our beliefs is very important to me. I value being able to state what I believe and share that with others.  

                                                                            

However, this freedom to express what we believe is sometimes limited. In this article I have attached it gives examples of how. The article says that "The Supreme Court has said the federal government may limit religious freedom." This limit that the Supreme Court has stated has to do with protecting "the common good and limit people's ability to harm others." Current cases today of this have to do with discrimination. The Supreme Court thus has had to reconsider how to go about dealing with if florist, photographers and bakers can deny service to same-sex weddings or celebrations that go against their beliefs. 

One example of being limited on expressing your belief has to do with a baker named Jack Phillips. In this article Jack express how he is not discriminating he will bake for anyone, but he does not want to go against his beliefs and write or give off a message that he disagrees with. He wants to express what he believes and hold true to his values. This article is about how Jack was asked to create a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding. Jack voiced his opinion on this matter. Another case where Jack expressed his beliefs was in regards to baking a birthday cake for a trans woman. Jack refused and was fined $500 for going against the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. In this article it goes over how in 2018 that the Supreme Court decided that the "Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed hostility toward the baker based on religious beliefs." The Court said this in regards to the wedding cake Jack refused to bake. Yet, in both cases we see that freedom to express has its limits and can cause trouble for the individual. Jack voiced his opinion in regards to the wedding cake and was heard by the Court and was heard by many citizens. That lead to the next scenario where he was asked to bake a birthday cake. This individual had heard his opinion on the wedding cake and wanted to see what he would express in regards to the birthdays cake. Thus, the freedom to express can be dangerous, yet it important and valued by many. Jack wanted to express and stand for what he believed. That is what I value as well. Jack valued his individual self-fulfillment of freedom of speech, and even with being fined he was still able to express what he believed which is important as our First Amendment is to protect that right. Again, the United States is a democracy, thus our right to express should be protected. Yet, as we see in this case with Jack, freedom of speech is changing and can come with a cost.