In this unit, students will develop knowledgeable and well-reasoned points of view on the history of free speech in the United States.
Image Source: Stump Speaking by George C. Bingham, published by Goupil & Co., New York, 1856 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC04075)
Grades: 9-12
Class Time: 1-2 Weeks
Although the First Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1791, it took generations of Supreme Court justices to reshape the meaning of those rights into the protections we know today. That story did not follow a straightforward trajectory.
This unit focuses on the right of free speech and how it has been interpreted by the US Supreme Court.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute has worked with AllSides.com to pull up current articles* in the news media related to this topic written from different perspectives. Students can use these articles to develop their understanding of how history has shaped current events. Click on “Latest News” to see a range of articles from left, center, and right perspectives.
*The articles shown here update regularly, so if you find articles you are particularly interested in sharing with your students, keep track of the links to the original publications.
