When James Madison drafted the First Amendment — "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech" — he made sure to use the article "the" in front of the word "freedom." What seemed normal to him and superfluous to moderns was actually a profound signal that has resonated for 227 years. The signal was that because the freedom of speech existed before the government that was formed to protect it came into existence, it does not have its origins in government.
The freedom of speech has its origins in our humanity. It. . .
President Trump and the Freedom of Speech
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