Proclaim Your Freedom of Speech †Burn a Flag! -- Argumentative Persua

Proclaim Your Freedom of Speech – Burn a Flag!      Ã‚  Ã‚   "This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation. The choices are ours" (quoted in Smith 87). This statement by Woodrow Wilson summarizes the debate over a proposed amendment to outlaw burning of the American flag. Is this symbol of our nation too powerful to be defiled in our collective mind, or is its manifestation of values the reason for us to outlaw its desecration? We see many constitutional and non-constitutional reasons both for and against passing the amendment; an analysis of the Constitution is vital to forming a valid opinion on this issue.    In the past, the Supreme Court has ruled that burning the flag is a form of free speech which may not be limited by the government. One of the earliest decisions on this issue was in Street v. New York (1969). After hearing about the murder of civil rights leader James Meredith, Sidney Street, a decorated veteran of World War II, burned a flag he had been displaying at his home (Cohen 185), telling bystanders that "if they let that happen to Meredith, we don't need an American flag" (Cohen 185). He was arrested, tried before a jury, and convicted under the state's statute prohibiting both the desecration of the flag and publicly speaking contemptuous words about it. Street's attorney appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled the sentence unconstitutional. The Court's opinion was based mainly upon Mr. Street's words; it stated that his declarations were a form of protest which is protected by the First Amendment and that he did not provoke retaliation fro... ...mocracy. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998.    4. "H.J.RES.5." Online. Thomas . October 29, 2000.    5. "H.J.RES.33." Online. Thomas . October 29, 2000.    6. O'Brien, Tim. "The Great Divide: Flag Burning Decision Split the Court." ABC News OnLine. 1999. October 11, 2000.    7. "S.931." Online. Thomas . October 29, 2000.    8. Smith, Whitney. The Flag Book of the United States. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1970.    9. U.S. Supreme Court. "Street v. New York." 21 April 1969. FindLaw. Online. . October 29, 2000.    10. Webb, Sandi. "A Grand Old Flag? Does the U.S. really need to Prohibit Flag Burning?" Online. September 1995. Libertarian Party News . September 30, 2000.    11. Williams, Armstrong. "The Flag Burning Amendment." New York Amsterdam News: 8.28. October 1999. EbscoHost . October 29, 2000.