Paper on the Skokie Nazie Case

Kathy Longley

Skokie Paper

9/2/10

Throughout history there has been no group as universally feared and disliked as the Nazis. Due to their radical takeover of Germany and massacre of the Jewish race most of the world now days despises the Nazis and would seek to harm them should any of them reappear. Unfortunately for the world this is what happened on June of 1978 when they decided to march at Skokie. Many people were against this demonstration but in the end the courts ruled in their favor that they did have a right like all other people to freedom of speech. For my part I believe the courts made the right decision and that Nazis have the freedom to speech just like everyone else and the amendments are made to protect those with unpopular views.

The first amendment of our constitution provides freedom of speech to all citizens of the United States regardless of their views and allows them to assemble and hold demonstrations as long as they don’t break any other of our country’s laws. This is particularly true when that freedom is put at risk by the views of other and is put in place specifically to protect those unpopular ideas that the majority disagree with. It is only if those ideas will directly lead to violence or the breaking of the US law that they are not protected.

Also it is in America’s Constitution that well will be a country ruled by the majority but respecting the protecting the minority. In this case it is most of America that dislikes the Nazis that are in the majority and the Nazis themselves that must be protected as part of the minority. We are made as a country of freedom for all; everyone is allowed to say whatever they want as a part of this freedom even if it is not popular or even true. As stated in class our country is a market place for ideas. Anyone can say whatever they want about anything and everyone else just must decide if they will listen or not, we can not decide what it is people say.

All in all I...