Flag Burning Research Paper

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Pages: 3

Sarah 11th ELA Originally flag burning was used as a weapon of political protest and was very popular in the Vietnam war. The burning of the national flag during the Vietnam war prompted almost every state to invoke little-used provisions, making it a crime to burn or desecrate the flag. The issue has resurfaced many times throughout American history, most recently during the Trump administration. The flag burning and the First Amendment: another look at the two, the Supreme Court had already made their decision back in 1990. Flag burning should be legal as it represents the freedoms and the rights Americans have. For instance, the legalization of flag burning should occur to uphold the basic rights of American citizens. The American flag represents the constitution and …show more content…
He defended himself by invoking the First Amendment and the use of symbolic speech (AEI). The Supreme Court eventually took up this case and Johnson was found to be innocent. Flag burning shouldn’t be illegal as it is an example of symbolic speech which is protected by our Constitution. Furthermore, the national flag of America represents the freedoms Americans have, including the right to protest what we believe is wrong or unfair. Burning the national flag is an example of a protest, which is a right provided by the Constitution. Moreover, the burning of the flag is often used as a form of political protest. For example, “Supporters of the “NYC Revolution Club” burn the flag outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York, November 29, 2016.” They were protesting one of Donald Trump's most recent tweets, “Those who burn the American flag should face legal consequences or lose their citizenship”. Another example is in 2016 Cleveland police officers arrested Gregory Johnson as he used his first amendment rights to protest the rising authoritarian Donald