Freedom of Speech Informed Opinion Essay. Social Sciences

Freedom of Speech
On December 15 1791, the first amendment of the United States country ratified a law protecting the right of any citizen to express freedom of speech among other civil liberties. The amendment has its limitation to ensure that the right is not abused by cause civil unrests or infringing into any other person’s rights but it empowers the people to criticize the government and make it accountable. Limiting freedom of speech can easily lead to other violations of the civil rights. The right to free speech has since helped change the political landscape and became the backbone of democracy since anyone is entitled to his or her opinions especially against the government and the law is there to protect them.
Freedom of speech prevents what would otherwise be violence. In most countries where this right is suppressed, there are still some people who speak without fear of the shortcomings of the government. There is a general trend that these violations of civil rights eventually exceed the ‘acceptable’ levels. They turn chaotic and many governments have been ousted this way because the people realize the only way to bring change is through violence. The Islamic uprising was caused partly by the realization of the public that the governments suppressed their freedom of speech and it was not acting in the best interest of the people CITATION Fri12 \l 1033 (Ghitis). In the societies which cherish the fundamental importance of freedom of speech, any contentious issue is addressed amicably and hence they are relatively stable and peaceful.
Freedom of speech is a basic pillar of democracy. Benjamin Franklin summarized the importance and relevance of freedom of speech by asserting that it is the ‘prin...