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In year 1215, English King John had been abusing his power, and as a result, caused the nobles and ordinary citizens to revolt. This revolt led King John to lay the frame for a legal system, and establish that nobody, even the king, is above the law.This legal framework is known as the Magna Carta, or Great Charter.
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During the year 1689, John Locke wrote the Letter Concerning Toleration. It provides the philosophical basis for George Mason’s proposed Article Sixteen of the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, This article states the principle that all men should be free to follow any religion they choose. This is an event that shapes our first amendment today, as the statement for religious freedom still exists today.
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In 1776, Virginia drafted and published its declaration of independence. This is important because Virginia's Declaration of Independence paved the way for national independence and human liberties.
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On July 4th, 1776, Congress publishes the final draft for its Declaration of Independence from Britain. With this, the United States of America is born. This event is important because it ultimately created our country as we know it, and established independence and freedom.
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Religious Freedom becomes established in 1777 when Thomas Jefferson finishes the final draft of the Virginia State Bill of Religious Freedom. This establishes total religious freedom for the people, and foreshadowed a main part of our first amendment today.
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In 1791, Virginia becomes the eleventh state to implement the Bill of Rights, therefore ratifying it This event establishes the ratification of the Bill of Rights, and marks the year that the article became an official part of the national constitution.
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In 1801, the Sedition Acts expire, and all jailed persons convicted of uttering false or demeaning things of the government are pardoned. This is a huge turning point in our society that defined and protected our freedom of speech, even if what we say goes against our government.
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In 1863, a Union General by the name of Ambrose Burnside orders the suspension of the Chicago Times on the grounds of incendiary statements. Three days later, however, President Lincoln rescinds this order. This is important because it exhibits the duty of the President to defend free speech and the Constitution.
(It was also important because Burnside had some pretty incredible sideburns, as you can see in the picture) -
The Sedition Acts during the 1910's and 1921 were acts put in place by the government which prohibited any written or spoken criticism of the US government, the Constitution, or the flag. In 1921, however, Congress repealed these acts, again illustrating the duty of the government to preserve the freedom of speech among its people.
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In 1939, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut finally ratify the bill of rights, almost a century and a half later.The three states initially saw the Bill of Rights as needed, but later, they found that the free speech of the people was something in high demand.
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A court case during 1943 concludes with the statement that a Virginia law requiring citizens to salute the flag as unconstitutional. This illustrates that even though we should salute our own flag, any citizen has the right to chose not to. Complete freedom of speech is almost here in America.
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Here's one from the year I was born. In 2000, the US Supreme Court ruled that a Santa Fe school's practice of student-led, student-initiated prayers was a violation of the establishment clause. Even though people are free to worship their own religion, this practice was ruled unconstitutional due to the fact that it was held in a public school. This is interesting because even though the first amendment protects free speech, limitations such as these bar religion in such places.
