The United States of America is known for the freedoms it offers its citizens, however, these freedoms are becoming increasingly limited. Among these freedoms is the freedom to express oneself, whether through speech or print. The Bill of Rights is the document that gives the United States of America freedom of speech and freedom of the press, so this is a right that Americans should have indefinitely. People run away because of the things they said. They have to hide from the government, which is supposed to protect them, because they have revealed information that burdens their minds. People who simply express their thoughts and opinions can get into serious trouble. This isn't right. The Bill of Rights does not specifically say what is or is not covered. Therefore, since the United States of America is specifically known for these freedoms and many others, those freedoms should be protected. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In 1492, Christopher Columbus set out for India, but instead of reaching India, he discovered a new land, which the world now knows as the Americas. For just over two centuries immigrants from all over the eastern world poured into this new area. The American colonies, which later became the United States, were founded by British immigrants. The colonies were under the rule of Great Britain and remained there until 1775, when the American colonists decided enough was enough and rebelled. The rebellion turned into a full-blown revolutionary war, in which America fought to declare its independence. The rebellion was caused by tension with Great Britain. In essence, Britain has gained too much power. The colonists resented being treated differently to other British citizens in Britain and receiving no representation in Parliament. When it came time for the American colonists to write their new laws, the Founding Fathers did everything they could to ensure that the government did not have too much power. They tried to avoid having another King George III. Instead, they wanted the American people to have the freedom and power to have a say in their own government. The Bill of Rights, which are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, is the document that established these freedoms. This was written as a safeguard. It was intended to protect these freedoms. However, in this day and age, these freedoms are becoming increasingly restrictive. The Supreme Court has been given and entrusted with the power to determine whether or not something is constitutional. Supreme Court decisions increasingly leave American citizens with less and less freedom. Every freedom is becoming more and more restrictive. The First Amendment to the Constitution states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or restrict freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The framers of the Bill of Rights made the amendment clear. Without question, the Bill of Rights states that Congress is prohibited from making laws abridging these freedoms. They are not allowed to limit or curtail freedom of speech or the press. Members of the Supreme Court allow laws to pass, arguing that the laws are in fact constitutional. However, these laws that are being enacted are restrictions on these freedoms, which allow the government to limit our freedom of speech and press.This is unconstitutional. The members of the Supreme Court are doing an inadequate job of fulfilling the task entrusted to them. They personally allow the liberties of American citizens to be stripped away. There are many examples of restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Among them are people like Edward Snowden, who are now in hiding. Edward Snowden is an American hacker who leaked classified information about the National Security Agency, also known as the NSA, to the mainstream media. It is not certain how many files Snowden managed to download, but it is believed to be up to 100,000 and possibly more. He released information that the government had hidden from the American people. Because of his actions, he is on the run. He is currently hiding in Russia, simply because he has released information he believes is important. Americans, as well as the rest of the world, were outraged when a group of French journalists were murdered in early January 2015. They were upset that people in another country's freedoms were limited, they were murdered for publishing what they thought was important. Yet these same Americans are allowing American freedoms to be slowly stripped and stripped away. They seem to focus on complaining about other countries, rather than the fact at hand, their own country. Instead of looking across the ocean to the other side of the world, people should pay attention to the problem that is right in front of them. They don't notice their freedoms being stripped away. They don't realize that people like Edward Snowden have done something similar to journalists. While Snowden may not be put to death for his actions like journalists, he would most likely spend the rest of his life in prison, which in a way is almost like death. He wouldn't physically die, but he wouldn't actually be alive either as he would be trapped behind bars. Another example of a person who had his freedom of speech taken away was a man named Anthony Elonis. He posted a violent rap about his wife's murder on Facebook. He was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison. This is in direct violation of the First Amendment. His actions were no different from songs other people have released, such as rap artist Emimen, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III. Rap artist Eminem released an entire song about killing his wife, along with her new husband and son. One of the lyrics states: "We'll be right back. Well, I will, you'll be in the trunk." He swears at her many times during the song and yells at her to bleed, while in the background there is a sound that sounds like she is choking, as if he actually tried to kill her. There are many other examples of songs whose lyrics are about killing someone. It's a common theme in music, regardless of genre or even time period. In 1973, Bob Marley released a song called I Shot The Sheriff. The song is told from the point of view of the narrator who admits to shooting the sheriff, but denies shooting the deputy. Another song about murder is a country song released in the early 1990s called The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia by Reba McEntire, a well-known artist. The song is about a man who has been sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. The crime was actually committed by the younger sister, who is the narrator of the song. There are also iconic songs that everyone knows that are about murder, like Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It's a song that, if played, everyone is highly likely to know. One of the lyrics clearly states: "Mom, I just killed a man, put a gun to his head, pulled the trigger,.