Freedom of Speech
Introduction to Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Speech, freedom of expression, both oral and written, from governmental prior restraint, except as such expression constitutes libel, slander, obscenity, sedition, or criminal conduct such as bribery, perjury, or incitement to riot. In the U.S., this freedom is protected by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, and is considered essential to the vitality of representative government. At the core of 1st Amendment concerns is the protection of expression that is critical of government policies.
In the view of some scholars, public speech includes freedom of the press (see Press, Freedom of the). Because it is essential to political activities and religious practices, the exercise of the right of free expression often occurs in association with the exercise of the right of peaceable assemblage and freedom of worship; it is also intrinsically related to academic freedom, that is, to the right of teachers to express opinion in accordance with their belief and conscience and with immunity from dismissal or other penalty.” (1)
Resources
See Also
- Civil Liberty
- Civil Right
- Legal Right
- Citizen Freedom
- Political Liberty
- Constitutional Right
- Political Right
- Freedom of Speech
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Freedom of Speech in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
Guide to Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Speech, Sexual Behaviour and the Law
Freedom of Speech
See Also
First Amendment; Obscene Language; Obscenity
Further Reading
The Legal History of Freedom of Speech
This section provides an overview of Freedom of Speech
Resources
See Also
- Legal Biography
- Legal Traditions
- Historical Laws
- History of Law
Further Reading
- Freedom of Speech in the Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History (Oxford University Press)
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History (Oxford University Press)
- Freedom of Speech in the Dictionary of Concepts in History, by Harry Ritter
- A Short History of Western Legal Theory, by John Kelly
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