Having the right to free expression is very important and is protected by our First Amendment. There are eight values of free expression. These include the marketplace of ideas, participation in self-government, stable change, individual self-fulfillment, check on government power, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and protection of dissent.
All of these are important in their own way, however, the one that I feel is the most important is checking on government power. Quite frankly, the power the government holds can be scary when you think about it. The government has the power to do many things, but making sure they do not overstep those powers is essential. As we learned, our founding fathers originally set up our government to break away from a monarchy system. This is where the government has all of the power and no one else has any say. For these reasons, the founding fathers created a checks and balances system to ensure that no one branch has too much power.
The Constitution divided the Government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. That was an important decision because it gave specific powers to each branch and set up something called checks and balances. Just like the phrase sounds, the point of checks and balances was to make sure no one branch would be able to control too much power, and it created a separation of powers. What many people fail to realize is that we the citizens of the United States are also a part of this checks and balances system. It is not only our right, but also our constitutional duty to speak up and speak out if we feel something in the government is not right. This is where our freedom of expression comes into play. To make sure our country continues to stay a democracy we must express ourselves when it comes to checking on the government's power.
I think this also leads to the other value that resonates with me the most, protecting dissent. From a very young age, my parents have instilled in me to always stand up for what I believe in. This goes hand in hand with our First Amendment right to assembly and petition. Although, by no means do I agree with violent protest, I do firmly believe everyone has the right to an opinion and their own beliefs. As Steve Shiffrin said, "Our system is not supposed to be one of mob rule. The First Amendment protects minority views, no matter how unpopular."
Protection of dissent is definitely the value I see most in recent days. Although protests, strikes, and bans have gone on forever, I feel in the 21st century more and more people are speaking out. The first few that come to mind are the dissenting thoughts after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the BLM movement, and gun regulations. No matter your stance on these or any other particular topic, protecting dissenting opinions is crucial. If everyone wasn't free to have their opinions and or fight for what they think is right, we would no longer have a democracy. This is exactly what our founding fathers tried to escape from when leaving the English monarchy.
In conclusion, all eight of the values of free expression are extremely important in their own way. No matter if it is to speak out about the government, or voice your opinions, everyone should always have the right to believe what they want to believe. With that, being able to express it and make it known. This is exactly what the eight values are all about. Reading these eight values has not only increased my knowledge but also made me have a great appreciation for being able to express myself freely.
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