The Eight Values of Free Expression

The eight values of free expression are vital to the United States. They allow people to express their First Amendment right of free speech. Each of these values comes together to make Americans have their freedom, and each value is important in its own right. 

Although each value is important I do find that the one I see as most valuable to be the value of checking on government power. Within the government, there is a system of checks and balances, but the right of the people to check the government is what makes the United States a government of the people and for the people. As highlighted in the explanation of this value, freedom of the press comes to importance with this value. The press helps the general public learn about the abuse of power in the government, and then the people can do something about the abuse of power if they see fit. This helps the general public to be a part of the government, and keep things fair within society. 

The value that I feel most personally connected to is Individual Self-Fulfillment, or self-actualization. The ability that I have as an American to express myself and create my own identity is important to me. As a college-age American, I am learning about myself and what I want my future to be. I place a lot of value in having the freedom to make my own path and identity for myself through free speech. 

I see the value of participation in Self-Government today. With it being election season, debates are important for everyone to be updated on and be able to listen to. Debates are essential for voters to be informed on candidates' policies and therefore vote based on the knowledge they gain. Another value I see today is the Marketplace of Ideas. This is another essential value of freedom. This value I also see relating to the current election season. In politics, there is an unfortunate frequency of lies being spread. This value allows for the truth and the lies to fight themselves because the truth will win. This value also highlights the importance of freedom of the press. Milton who suggested this idea was against having a license to print or publish. This way, the press is able to talk about any issues occurring at the moment, and the truth is able to come out. 

Promoting tolerance, innovation, and dissent are 3 other values that hold a lot of importance in our society today. Tolerance is a concept that can be hard to grapple with. Hate speech is something that is heavily disagreed on, no one can agree on what exactly qualifies as hate speech, However, because hate speech is protected, it allows society to promote tolerance. Society is what punishes people for saying things that hurt other people. In this way, we are able to create a society of tolerance. Innovation is important to the progress of the United States. The ability of citizens to be creative and come up with new ideas and
then share them creates a society that promotes innovation. Lastly, dissent holds a value of importance. Similar to tolerance, people are allowed to say what they want and believe what they want to believe. This allows for criticism of the government. This is important because without criticism of the government, they would be allowed to do whatever they want. 

All of the values of free expression come together to make America the free society it is. These values exist in our everyday life even when we don't realize it.