Freedom of Speech
" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press" -First Amendment, U.S. Constitution.
According to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, one of the basic principles our country is based on is the freedom of speech. Because of this, as eras and ages have passed in this still young and growing country, this amendment has had a greater use then stated, as to just insure a citizen of this right; rather it is used and many times directed towards individuals who have suffered great injustices and forms of oppression in the nation and their strive for liberation. However, what speech is such thus uses to reach this liberation and freedom? What hidden phantom is it that can improve the reality of an individual being oppressed and transcend them from injustice in America? The answer is none other than the English language. It is the use of this language, written and spoken, which has altered the subjectivity lived in the past, as well as today. Take for instance the first official document our country based its freedom on, in the The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies. This document has laid the foundation of freedom and liberation from past oppression (British injustices)and in this country still existing today. However when viewing this document, one must take careful note of not only the theme of the document, rather the text itself to fully understand the genius and skill put forward in scribing such an influential document. For instance, a couple lines from the top, the author(s) state "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration 1). First should be noticed the type of voice used in this segment of the document. From this passage,
According to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, one of the basic principles our country is based on is the freedom of speech. Because of this, as eras and ages have passed in this still young and growing country, this amendment has had a greater use then stated, as to just insure a citizen of this right; rather it is used and many times directed towards individuals who have suffered great injustices and forms of oppression in the nation and their strive for liberation. However, what speech is such thus uses to reach this liberation and freedom? What hidden phantom is it that can improve the reality of an individual being oppressed and transcend them from injustice in America? The answer is none other than the English language. It is the use of this language, written and spoken, which has altered the subjectivity lived in the past, as well as today. Take for instance the first official document our country based its freedom on, in the The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies. This document has laid the foundation of freedom and liberation from past oppression (British injustices)and in this country still existing today. However when viewing this document, one must take careful note of not only the theme of the document, rather the text itself to fully understand the genius and skill put forward in scribing such an influential document. For instance, a couple lines from the top, the author(s) state "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration 1). First should be noticed the type of voice used in this segment of the document. From this passage,
Cited: Breitman, George Malcolm X Speaks (pp. 23-44), (Ed). Published in 1965 by Grove Weidenfeld: New York, NY. King, Martin Luther: "I Have a Dream"delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.