In The United States All Citizens Have A Guaranteed Right

In the United States all citizens have a guaranteed right to express their thoughts and ideas to a certain extent that is. Under the First Amendment in the Constitution it states that the people have the ability to speak freely. Free speech is a concept that has different variations as to how expansive it should be and can be discussed by four individuals with differing theories on the justification for this right. The four theories are the Utility of Truth by Mill, Democratic Self Government by Alexander Meicklejohn, Individual Self-Realization by Martin Redish, and the Mixed by Thomas Emerson, which all highlight the importance of free speech, but grasp the value of free speech differently. Freedom of speech is one’s ability to express†¦show more content†¦In contrast, under British libel law, she has to prove that what she said was true† (Lecture 8.1). In other terms, countries differ on free speech laws and Mill’s argument of truth being the foremost value holds contrasting views across the world. The truth of one’s speech matters a great deal and whether an individual has to prove either what was said was true or false impacts the lives of others. However, Mill believes that whether or not the speech is true, opinions should not be silenced, ever. Mill additionally views that without contestation of the truth, character and conduct will not have the same result and as human beings we will take the truth as prejudice. In other terms, if individuals speech is being restricted, limited, and not being heard then the respect for other persons opinions will not matter as much and as will the truth. Alexander Meicklejohn’s theory on freedom of speech is Democratic Self Government where the people are a democracy who governs them. This type of system can only work if the people come together as a community and have a knowledgeable electorate, â€Å"as the self-governing community seeks, the method of voting to gain wisdom in action, it can find it only in the minds of its individual citizens. If they fail, it fails. That is why freedom of discussion for those minds may notShow MoreRelatedThe Progression of Civil Rights in the USA Essay657 Words   |  3 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Civil rights are the rights guaranteed to the citizens of the specified location. When looking back at our history our civil rights have changed our life forever. Our civil rights were first introduced in 1787 as our Constitution. The Constitution states that any citizen is guaranteed the right to freedom of speech, of religion, and of press, and the rights to due process of law and to equal prot ection under the law. 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