Three reasons free speech should matter to you

Jan 23, 2025 by AFP

Free speech has always been a cornerstone of the American experiment. But if you’re like most Americans, you probably think the country is headed in the wrong direction on that issue.

According to a recent poll from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression:

  • 69% of Americans think America is heading in the wrong direction on free speech
  • Only 31% believe that things are heading in the right direction
  • Only 1 in 4 Americans say the right to free speech today is either “very” or “completely” secure

You’re not crazy. The calls for censorship are increasing. The same poll revealed that nearly 1 in 3 Americans, including similar numbers of Republicans and Democrats, think the First Amendment “goes too far.”

What would our society look like without free speech?

Free speech is a core part of the American success story. It protected civil rights, enabled our democracy, fueled our innovation, and moved us forward as a country.

It’s now more crucial than ever to understand why free speech matters. Not just as some abstract concept in history books, but as a fundamental right that directly affects your life — and the society you live in.

Here are three reasons why free speech should matter deeply to you:

1. Free speech guards against government overreach.

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” — Benjamin Franklin

Free speech is the first line of defense against tyranny. There’s a reason that suppressing speech is one of the first things tyrants do. Look at any authoritarian regime throughout history, and you’ll see their first act is restricting people’s ability to speak out against them.

Without free speech, cronyism and corruption goes unchallenged, abuse goes unchecked, and power becomes absolute.

Even small restrictions on speech can be dangerous. Restrictions on speech that seem senseless and offensive might seem benign, but once the government is given the power to decide which ideas are acceptable, there’s nothing stopping it from using that power to censor its critics.

If the erosion of free speech is to be stopped at all, it must be stopped at the beginning.

2. Free speech is the bedrock of democracy.

“A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy.” — James Madison

In a democracy, the candidates present their ideas, the people consider them, and then vote accordingly. For this process to work, we must be allowed to express new ideas.

Without free speech, voters are restricted to a limited set of ideas dictated by the government.

At that point, could it even be called a democracy?

If you trust citizens to vote, you must trust them to hear challenging ideas.

A government that censors speech is essentially saying its people are incapable of thinking for themselves. If citizens are incapable of thinking for themselves, what’s the point of letting them vote?

Democracy and free speech are both based on the same fundamental belief that people can hear challenging ideas and decide for themselves which ones to support.

3. Free speech allows us to move forward.

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” — George Orwell

Telling hard truths is often unpopular and even offensive — but it’s necessary for social progress.

As Stand Together’s Casey Mattox put it, “Almost any social movement, invention, or innovation you can think of was dependent in some way on the ability to speak and to hear.”

Pamphlets like Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” galvanized the public, sparked the American Revolution, and set the stage for independence.

If people hadn’t been willing to speak out against the establishment, America wouldn’t even exist.

With increasing tension and calls for censorship in America, our most cherished founding principle needs your support more than ever.

Click here to watch our short video on the importance of free speech and share it to add your voice to the movement.

© 2025 AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | PRIVACY POLICY