Free Speech Week

It just seems to be a human trait to want to protect the speech of people with whom we agree. For the First Amendment, that is not good enough. So it is really important that we protect First Amendment rights of people no matter what side of the line they are on.
- Floyd Abrams

It’s Free Speech Week! Free Speech Week runs from October 21st to October 27th, and you can celebrate it by learning more about one of our most important rights.

Selected Resources:
College Bill of Rights – Public universities must respect the free speech rights of students and faculty, yet recent controversies have spotlighted how sometimes universities fail to live up to that commitment. In partnership with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, this lesson explores issues and events that are especially important for college students in understanding their constitutional rights.

Fire in a Crowded Theater – One of the most common phrases uttered in debates on free speech is Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’s “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.” But what was he actually justifying? Learn all about it in this eLesson.

Why Does a Free Press Matter - In political campaigns arguably the most influential force is the media; they report on the candidates and shape the coverage. Why is this so important? Find out in this eLesson covering the free press’s role in the 2012 election.

Freedom of Speech Headlines – Freedom of speech isn’t a settled issue. There are new cases everyday challenging the idea and raising legitimate debates about how we define ‘free speech’ in the 21st century. Stay up to date by following our daily headlines on freedom of speech and freedom of the press!