The First Amendment

The First Amendment protects our most basic freedoms, none more important than freedom of speech. But what do we do about speech that threatens to destroy the social fabric? This presentation considers the constitutional arguments for and against hate speech codes and why the Supreme Court ruled against St. Paul's hate speech ordinance. If hate speech codes are unconstitutional, it falls on citizens to find other ways to counter hateful speech. We'll explore what capacities citizens need to preserve freedom and the social fabric. Could it be that persuasion and deliberation might be better strategies for all of us? 

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of bringing the humanities to your community!

The First Amendment to the Constitution describes the process of becoming an actualized citizen. It begins with the freedom to follow a higher moral standard (freedom of religion) and ends with political protest (freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances). This talk, presented by Dr. Meg Mott, will consider how the Framers understood these First Freedoms and how we might think about them in the context of our current racial reckoning. Why does the First Amendment make it so hard to curtail offensive speech? 

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