Student Opinions: First Amendment
"Freedom of speech is one of, if not the most essential first amendment right in the running of a successful democracy. Freedom of speech is what allows for debate and what, along with freedom of the press, allows for the transfer of information, and is also the most powerful right for affecting social and political change."
~Aeddon, Providence
"Our right to speak is also our right to express ourselves, meaning that it should not be against the law to express your beliefs, whether it be on your clothing or made in a speech. Comments made by the Ku Klux Klan, for example, are made out of hate; hate comments made by hate organizations or any comments that threaten violence should not be interpreted as being acceptable under the First Amendment. However, comments with the intent to criticize are a part of our functioning democracy and are thus under our right to speak our minds."
~Caroline Gracia, Providence, RI
"Our Supreme Court has ruled that there is "high" and "low" first amendment value to certain speech. I think that making an ambiguous high to low scale rating how much the first amendment applies to speech is wrong. Speaking is speaking, even if it is offensive or misleading. Inciting violence or physical assault on someone, however, is the one type of speech that I consider to be no longer protected under the first amendment. This is only because inciting violence is more similar to assault than it is to speech. It is not sharing ideas or information - it is calling for an attack."
~Aaron Leventhal, Massachusetts