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Freedom of speech is guaranteed in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed in 1791, which says:
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; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances.
[emphasis added]
At first that prohibition applied only to Congress, not the States (though all of the original States put a similar prohibition in their constitutions also). When the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1867, it included the sentence:
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State
any person of life, liberty, or property, without
of law; nor deny to any person within its
the equal protection of the laws.
Gradually the federal courts decided that sentence meant that all States, not just the federal government, had to give all of their people the same rights as were protected in the Constitution, so now neither Congress nor any state or municipal government can make or enforce any law that limits freedom of speech.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, when such as when speech is calculated to incite people to immediate, right-then-and-there, violent revolution, but it used to be pretty much sacrosanct.
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JudyThe United States Constitution is what guarantees Freedom of Speech to US citizens. The US Constitution is a general rulebook for the country.
Freedom of Speech is protected by the Constitution. It is the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. (No official can go against the Constitution)
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What did The Supreme Court decision in Schenck v the US most affect?
Freedom of speech
What five liberties are protected by the first amendment?
The first amendment of the US Constitution protects the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition the government. This amendment is part of the Bill of Rights.
What are three rights promised to us citizen?
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press
What document established freedom of speech trial by jury and the right to bear arms for American citizens?
The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution.
Which amendment protects citizens of the US from unreasonable disturbances by the government?
The Ninth Amendment protects against unreasonable disturbances. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches.
