We need to do a better job teaching citizens about the First Amendment

For a country that purports to value our First Amendment right to freedom of speech, it has become clear that some of our elected officials don’t understand it.  

State legislatures across the country have passed bill after bill that violate the First Amendment’s free expression protections – protections that limit the government’s ability to infringe on individuals’ speech. 

Yet a recent survey by the Freedom Forum of more than 3,000 Americans found that 94% value the First Amendment as vital, and more than half say it should never be altered.  

Now more than ever, we need a renewed focus on civic education to ensure Americans understand their constitutional rights. In addition, one study from the Freedom Forum suggests nearly one in five Americans cannot name a single First Amendment freedom.

Still, elected officials are regularly quoted in the media, espousing plans to require social media platforms to carry certain speech or barring them from shutting down certain accounts. Ask honest constitutional scholars, and they’ll assure you these plans are unconstitutional.