Flag Burning -- Position Paper

Essential Questions:

Is the United States flag so special that burning it should not be protected as free speech?

Concepts to include:

First Amendment (required)
freedom of expression
political speech
checks and balances (amending the Constitution checks the power of the Supreme Court)

Landmark Cases (quote this case)

• TEXAS v. JOHNSON, 491 U.S. 397 (1989)
• A site which explains Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989)
• SPENCE v. WASHINGTON
  SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 418 U.S. 405

Articles (Use these articles and cases to support your thesis.)

• Conflicting emotions about flag nothing new
  Debate going on through much of U.S. history
• The ACLU on Flag Desecration
• Flag Desecration Amendment
  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
• Flag Burning- Yes or No?
• Flag Burning and Other Acts Deemed Disrespectful of American Symbols
• Flag desecration amendment fails in Senate
• Senate prepares to vote on protections for flag
  Culminating emotional debate on patriotism and individual rights in the age of terrorism, the Senate is preparing to vote as early as today on a constitutional amendment to ban the burning or desecration of the U.S. flag.
• Veterans band together to oppose flag-protection amendment
• Senate Republicans tout flag-desecration bill
  
  Amendment to ban flag burning defeated
• Proposed ban on flag burning sparks heated debate in Senate
• House OKs constitutional amendment on flag desecration
• GOP pushes flag burning amendment
• Senate Judiciary Committee Hears Pleas To Stop Flag Burning
• Why the Senate should reject the flag desecration amendment to the United States Constitution
• City seeks end to flag desecration with law banning all burning
• A timeline of flag protection

Interest Groups

• Citizens Flag Alliance
• The flag burning page
• flag4u's Home Page
• Burn a flag burner
• Citizens flag alliance
• The flag burning page
• U.S. Flag Etiquette
  

Related Sites