Today, it only takes a minute to scroll through Twitter or Facebook or any social media platform of your choice and find someone using their account to voice their opinions on the government. These opinions can get pretty brutal and reach the highest from of criticism imaginable. This is something that is normal, something that is legal. The crazy thing is that it was not always this way, not even close.
There was a time when protesting the government was not only not allowed, but would get you placed in jail. The very concept of freedom of the press we see fervently exercised each and every day was not always honored and upheld properly. It is easy to look back on history and think that once the constitution was ratified everything was fine. But that is not the case, each right was still a fight and the constitution was just a big stepping stone or turning point. Even ten years after the constitution was ratified, arguably one of the most vital amendments- the first amendment, was not stable.
In 1798 the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed. The sedition act essentially made it illegal to publicly oppose the government. I cannot read those lines over again enough. I scrolled through Twitter before writing this article and it is honestly amazing at what people are able to express when it comes to their disdains with the government. Even though some of the posts are so vulgar, they are in a sense beautiful because of what they represent. They represent absolutely freedom, complete protection of freedom of the press.
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