Free Speech in US History, 1917-1988 | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

About This Lesson Plan Unit

Political cartoon of Uncle Sam holding a "free speech" umbrella over people on his left and right. The people are all saying "can you just move it so it doesn't cover them?" Implying that many want free speech for some, but not all.

Copy of Amendments to the United States Constitution

Over one to two weeks, students will explore how legislation and the courts shaped the twentieth-century history of free speech in the United States, use this historical knowledge and their critical thinking skills to read and assess news articles about current issues related to free speech, and develop a civic engagement project that addresses free speech issues that affect their communities. They will read the First and Fourteenth Amendment, legislation, and US Supreme Court decisions and opinions, learning close reading strategies and how to analyze and answer questions about these primary sources.

Lesson Plan Authors: John McNamara and Ron Nash

Historical Background Essay by: Bruce Allen Murphy, Lafayette College

Download Unit: Grades 6–8 Download Unit: Grades 9–12

Additional Information About This Unit

Common Core State Standards

Grade Level: 6–8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/ social studies.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.9: Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on [grade-level] topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly

Grade Level: 9–12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1.C: Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 and 11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Essential Questions

What claims did twentieth-century legislators and judges make about the importance of free speech?

When have Americans found it especially challenging to maintain a commitment to freedom of speech?

How and when have Congress and the Supreme Court restricted and regulated speech?

What has the Supreme Court ruled about the protections for and limitations on free speech in schools?

What should the protections for and limitations on speech be?

Documents

Grade Level: 6–8

“Free Speech,” by Signe Wilkinson, August 18, 2017

“Uncle Sam Bound and Gagged,” by Angelo Lopez, October 1, 2017

The First Amendment, US Constitution

The Espionage Act (1917)

The Sedition Act (1918)

Dissenting Opinion in the US Supreme Court Case Abrams v. United States (1919)