Values of Free Expression
The Values of Free Expression
After more than a century of religious oppression under European and colonial rule, the framers of the US Constitution sought to create a more enlightened society where fundamental freedoms would be protected and thereby create a stronger country and society. The founding Fathers came up with the Bill of Rights and one of the amendments was the First Amendment which protected the freedom of speech, religion, and the right to assemble from government oppression. Many of these ideas were articulated in the Federalist Papers and were derived from philosophers and economists such as John Locke and John Milton. James Madison, who was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers, "introduced 12 amendments to the First Congress in 1789. Ten of these would go on to become what we now consider the Bill of Rights."
In 1859 John Stuart Mill published On Liberty. "Is thought to be the origin of translating market competition into a theory of free speech." Mill is against censorship and is in favor of the free flow of ideas. "Asserting that no one alone knows the truth, or that no one idea alone embodies either the truth or its antithesis, or that truth left untested will slip into dogma, Mill claims that the free competition of ideas is the best way to separate falsehoods from fact."
"The marketplace of ideas refers to the belief that the test of the truth or acceptance of ideas depends on their competition with one another and not on the opinion of a censor, whether one provided by the government or by some other authority."
Fast forward 228 years, the Marketplace of Ideas concept was first referenced in a US Supreme Court case by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. The theory behind this concept using the commercial term "marketplace" is that ideas in a free society compete for attention and acceptance and that the best ideas will generally prevail. I think that this expanded the idea from an inherent right to a right that is integral to a functioning society.
The Eight Values of Free Expression are 1. Marketplace of Ideas, 2. Participation in Self-Government, 3. Stable Change, 4. Individual Self-Fulfillment, 5. Check on Government, 6. Promote Tolerance, 7. Promote Innovation, and 8. Protect Dissent. These are the eight speech theories that scholars use to describe why freedom of expression is so important to us as Americans. The two most important speech theories are (1) Marketplace of Ideas and (2) Check on Governmental Power. I believe these two theories represent the ideas that were most important to our founding fathers;. The marketplace of ideas which was introduced by Milton, states that when truth and falsehood are allowed to battle it out truth will always win. It may take time, but the truth will always prevail. The second important speech theory was the Check on Governmental Power. The Founding Fathers just finished fighting for freedom from a tyrannical government and they knew how easy it could be for a new government to slip into being tyrannical if the citizens did not have a way to keep the government in check by limiting its power. Freedom of speech and expression is a way for the citizens of the US to be informed of governmental abuse of power. Participation in self-government is the most important to me. I truly believe that citizens need to be informed before elections. The candidates need to be able to communicate their policies and positions on issues. I see this theory in action today on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Leading up to the 2020 election, we saw a lot of censorship on all three media platforms. The media suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story and the Biden family's illicit business deals in Ukraine, China, and other countries.
Twitter and 2020 election interference
The suppression of this information prevented voters from having the necessary information before the election. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, he has pledged to protect free speech on his platform. Heading into this election of 2024, I believe it imperative that we have access to all the candidates' policies, opinions on issues, and any other critical information regarding the candidates. This election in November will determine the course that this country will follow for the future. The candidates have two very different visions for America. We, the people of the United States, need to be well-informed before we make our decision at the ballot box.
The one speech theory I feel is most personal to me is the Check on Governmental Power. I believe it is the most important check we, the people, have on our government. We need to protect the freedom of the press so the press can inform the citizens of any abuse of power done by our government. This enables the citizens to use their voices at the ballot box to remove the government officials who abuse their power. If we lose this freedom of the press it would be very easy for the government to become too powerful and that could lead to us losing more freedoms.
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