Page 184 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

Government Censorsh p and Freedom of Speech | 1

The founding fathers gave future generations of Americans a great gift in the
form of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Inspired by the writings
of seventeenth-century British political theorist John Milton (see “The Bill of
Rights” sidebar), they had the foresight to recognize that a government based
on the principles of popular sovereignty cannot function effectively without the
free flow of information. People who chose their own leaders cannot make in-
formed choices in the voting booth unless they have access to accurate informa-
tion and a wide range of opinions, to help them formulate their own positions.
Leaders chosen by a free people must remain accountable to those voters, with
their words and actions open to scrutiny. Only media that are free from govern-
ment control can effectively serve the “watchdog” function of the “fourth estate.”
Acting as an unofficial fourth branch of government, a free press can serve as
a check against abuses of power by reporting on the activities of the executive,
judicial, and legislative branches.
The framers of our Constitution included a prohibition against federal cen-
sorship as a reaction to the strict censorship they experienced under the British
monarchy. In a democracy, citizens choose their own leaders, who are then,
in turn, expected to represent the will of the public. People in power rarely
like being challenged, and the urge to silence critics is common among leaders,
even those who have been elected. The founding fathers wanted to help our
country avoid a situation in which elected officials suppressed dissent. They
wanted to insure that people would have a right to complain about the gov-
ernment without fear of imprisonment, and that minority views would have a
chance to be heard.

ThE ChaLLEngE oF Living TogEThEr in FrEEDom

When the First Amendment was adopted in 1791, America was a fairly ho-
mogeneous nation. The people who were allowed to vote in the new country
were all white males, most of them were of British or French heritage, and the
majority were Protestant. When the founding fathers wrote the First Amend-
ment, they could not possibly have imagined how diverse our population would
eventually become. As time went on, immigrants from around the world began
arriving on our shores, seeking the individual liberties on which our country
was founded. Living together in freedom is not that challenging when people

the Bill oF rights

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the first of 10 amendments known as the
Bill of Rights, all adopted simultaneously by our Congress in 1791. Each of these rights is de-
signed to protect individual liberties. The First Amendment states that: “Congress shall make
no law respecting the 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 as-
semble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”