This past September, North Carolina High school Honors civics teacher Lee Francis wanted to teach his class about the First Amendment.
“Amendment I. 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.”
Understandably, Francis wanted to somehow translate all of that into something his high school students could all understand, so he took the American flag from its post in his classroom, lay it on the ground, and stepped onto it.
This teacher, wishing to make a point to his class about the first amendment–which says we have the freedom of expression–simply used that very freedom.
The result: Administration uproar, an investigation launched by the school district and forced administrative leave for Francis. The teacher has even received death threats.
One thing that is repeated by Francis’ critics is that, “there are other ways to teach the first amendment.” While that may be true, it misses the point of Francis’s lesson. What distinguishes America from totalitarian governments such as that in North Korea, are the protections and freedoms offered by the first amendment, including the freedom of speech and expression–freedoms which cannot be easily restricted.
In 1989, the Supreme Court handed down their decision on a case known as Texas v. Johnson. That is, the state of Texas, versus a man named Gregory Lee Johnson, who, as part of a communist youth movement, burned an American flag. Texas v. Johnson invalidated prohibitions on the desecration of American flags. The decision was upheld by the first amendment.
I understand why people love the American flag, and why people care so passionately for this country. America is in my opinion, one of the greatest countries in the world, and the leading beacon of freedom in the world. However we must be careful as a country not to allow our passions and patriotism to blind us toward one of the most inherent freedoms that make our country great: freedom of expression.
The argument has been made that though it is a right, to disrespect or desecrate the country or the flag is disrespectful and therefore should not be done. We must be cautious when we talk about respect in regards to symbols such as the star-spangled banner. After all, symbols are inherently tools for expression. One form of expression may not appeal to all, but it is still a form of expression, and as Americans we must honor the freedom of expression given to every citizen. That’s not to say that we each cannot form our own opinion of an individual’s act of expression. What’s great about the United States of America is that everyone can have their own opinions! To dictate which forms of expression are ‘inappropriate’ or ‘appropriate’ is to go down a very dangerous path. At the end of the day, no matter how repugnant you may find the expression of others, as an American you must realize that it is woven within the very fabric of our freedom.