Assaults on Freedom of Speech: Why Social Studies Must Defend the First Amendment

Abstract Freedom of expression is the core political ideal undergirding American democracy and recent attacks on freedom of speech are a direct threat to the liberties and rights guaranteed in the United States Constitution. Freedom of expression is essential for participatory democracy, scientific progress, individualism, and civic education in K-12 schools and universities. Citizens must have access to all opinions, empirical evidence, historical information, and competing narratives to make informed decisions regarding political candidates, policies, and issues. This necessitates the right to express offensive, controversial, repugnant, and radical opinions and values that that are shocking to government or specific groups. Indeed, this is the primary purpose of the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech and the press. However, this freedom is experiencing a withering assault from special interest groups, Big Tech social media entities, and most ironically, universities, ostensibly the ultimate guardians of freedom of expression. “Hate” speech codes and other attempts at censorship are anathema to democracy. Attacks on freedom of expression are an existential threat to social studies education. Thus, it is incumbent upon all social studies professors and K-12 social studies educators to combat this dangerous attack on the First Amendment.