Flag Burning In America Research Paper

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Pages: 4

Leo Politis ELA Essay Flag Burning

Flag burning in America emerged as a form of protest in the Vietnam era, and there have been many opinions and viewpoints on whether it should be illegal to burn the flag. Historically, there have been cases that involve decisions regarding the burning of the flag. On June 21, 1989, the US Supreme Court allowed flag burning in the Texas v. Johnson case. The state cannot impose laws that contradict the Amendments to the Constitution. Flag burning should not be illegal as long as it isn’t physically harming anyone and it doesn’t destroy public property. On the other hand, there are a bunch of opponents of flag burning in America. Some of the time, people participating in flag burning destroy public property
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Specifically, Article 11 states that people could protest, march, and demonstrate, but does not give people the right to intentionally violent protests. For this reason, people participate in “peaceful protests” that don’t involve violence. For many, the right to speech and protest is fundamental and is one that everyone should have. Citizens should be able to express themselves freely, as well as their opinions, despite the chance that it is considered offensive to people. Being able to express yourself as a person preserves our freedom, as well as our Constitution. Laws, especially amendments, must be prioritized over feelings and disagreements, otherwise, there will be many more altercations and problems outside of the legality of flag burning. The final piece of evidence on why flag burning should not be deemed illegal is that it is a form of political protest, which every American has the right to do. This is stated in the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. Moreover, it may help advocate for a movement or dissatisfaction of a group of people that they feel they need to address. One reason one might burn a flag is because they are facing injustice. It can be said that protests like flag burning can challenge the government, and therefore it is