Free Speech and Self-governance
This chapter examines the role of the Free Speech Clause in the constitutional structure. The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” As we have already seen, the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment — like the rest of the Constitution — are not generally intended to protect individual liberty, but rather to organize and place limits upon government. Yet the First Amendment on its face — by singling out freedom of speech, press, and assembly for special protection — does appear to be concerned with rights of the individual.
Keywords: U.S. Constitution, constitutional rights, free speech, individual rights, First Amendment
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