Free Speech Resources

A selection of resources for learning about and supporting freedom of speech and the First Amendment.

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.
~ First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

The American Civil Liberties Union

https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech
The ACLU has been one of the staunchest defenders of free speech in the United States. This page provides the ACLU’s mission statement on free speech. It also features information on recent and current issues and cases revolving around freedom of speech.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

https://www.thefire.org/
FIRE resolves to protect the First Amendment and due process rights of students on college campuses. The site features news, resources, and access to help for students. Their First Amendment library provides information on the history and case law for the amendment’s five freedoms, easily searchable by topic.

Electronic Frontier Foundation

https://www.eff.org/
The EFF works to protect digital civil liberties as technology progresses, including free expression online. The site features information on the important issues the EFF seeks to protect, news, legal cases with EFF involvement, and links to take action.

Human Rights Watch

https://www.hrw.org/topic/free-speech
Human Rights Watch reports on human rights conditions around the world and advocates for policy changes in support of rights and justice. This page highlights HRW’s international work in support of free expression.

Notable First Amendment Cases

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship/courtcases
The American Library Association provides this list of notable First Amendment court cases. The cases are broken up by topic and summaries of the background and ruling are included for each case.

Areopagitica by John Milton

https://williamaltoft.blog/free-speech-upon-the-rock-above-the-city-re-wording-john-milton/
Milton’s Areopagitica is one of the classic works on free expression. Milton argues for the importance of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in opposing a British law which required the licensing and censoring of publications. The language of the original work can be hard to understand, however this link provides a version that was translated into modern English.

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

Public Domain Audiobook Recording
Another classic work on free expression, Mill argues in On Liberty for the importance of liberty and individuality. The second chapter in particular deals with freedom of thought and discussion. He argues that opinions must never be suppressed because whether it is wholly false, partly true, or wholly true, allowing the discussion benefits the common good.

Christopher Hitchens on Free Speech

Hitchens gave this brilliant argument for free speech at a debate at the University of Toronto in 2006. He provides a summary of the arguments that helped create the tradition of English liberty and applies those arguments to the modern day context of religious authoritarianism.