Why is freedom of speech so important to a democratic society?

"Freedom of expression is the matrix, the indispensable condition, of nearly every other form of freedoms." Benjamin Cardozo was stating that freedom of expression is the structure of all the other freedoms. Freedom of expression is a very valuable freedom. It lets you express your own thoughts and feelings and show your beliefs and ideas.

In Tinker vs. Des Moines, teenagers John Tinker, Mary Beth Tinker, and Christopher Echardt, decided to wear armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The principals of the Des Moines school district asked the students to take the armbands off. They refused to do so, and they were suspended from school. The students took this case all the way to the Supreme Court where they won 7-2 because the Supreme Court thought it was violating their freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression is also showing your feelings without verbal use. If you don't know about this freedom, you might be afraid to share your ideas and feelings. Also, freedom of expression helps people make decisions based on their opinions and not what others think. Citizens also have the right to express who they want to vote for unless there is a rule or law limiting your freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is found in many early human rights documents such as the Magna Carta. In the Constitution, the First Amendment protects your freedom of expression.