Educational Leadership

President James Madison proposed the Freedom of Speech idea to Congress when he gave a

speech to the First Congress on June 8, 1789. In this speech, Madison proposed several

amendments to the Constitution in response to the concerns of Anti-Federalists that the

Constitution was not strong enough in protecting certain rights. (Revolutionary)

Madison's speech proposed two separate phrases about the freedom of speech to be added to

the Constitution. First, "The people shall not be deprived of their right to speak, to write, or to

publish their convictions; and the freedom of the press, one of the great protections of liberty,

shall be invincible." The second phrase said this, "No state shall violate the equal rights of

conscience, or of the press." (Revolutionary)

Some people believe that words only are protected by the Freedom of Speech Clause, while

others think that any type of expression, such as art, literature, symbols or symbolic acts are

protected also. The Courts have always agreed that not all speech is protected.

These are some of the most common types of speech that are not protected: (Revolutionary)

1. Defamation (slander and libel)

2. Threatening or fighting words

3. Treason

4. Obscenity

5. Lying in court (perjury)

6. Profanity

7. Speech containing copyright infringements

8. Sedition

9. Trade secrets

10. Words that promote lawless activity

11. Words that cause contempt of court

Congress sent the state twelve proposed Amendments on September 25, 1789, two were not

adopted, but the other ten, became the Bill of Rights. They were ratified December 15, 1971.

Amendment 1:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free

exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people

peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." (Tedeschi)

In the 1960s higher educational institutions were in up roar over "political correctness ",

Students took a stand against war and other issues that were going on during that time

A lot of people saw education as an outlet to express their views to society. The felt that being a

professional would give them respect in society and therefore their voices would be heard and

change would occur, but nothing could be further than the truth. (Block &Dauterive)

There are so many issues that are taking place to day, such as unnecessary wars that are being

waged in our names, unemployment, unfair treatments and many more, but Universities do not

have the same enviroments of change that higher education once had in the past, it is almost like

the new college students have no voice, no power, no outcry.

Although it appears