Free speech is the backbone of any democratic and "free" society. One of the most fundamental parts of our own Constitution is our first amendment right to free speech. It is a vital part of what it takes for a society to be well informed and develop to its full potential.
The knowledge of how to organize and fight for the rights promised to us came mostly from the "Civil Rights" and the "Chicano" movements the first of which started in the 1960's. Groups such as the NAACP, the SCLC, and the SNCC used there constitutional right to peacefully assemble, organize, and request a redress of grievances to fight for the rights of Blacks and Mexican Americans mostly but also they indirectly fought for free speech. Their organizational techniques have been used ever since to fight for all rights including the right of free speech. The fight for free speech is a never ending battle because there will always be oppressive conservatives restricting new ideas that express the feelings of entertainers and people in general. The efforts of the government to censor any form of speech restricts the development of free society and retards its ability to reach its full potential through new ideas.
The majority of people agree that freedom of expression is a good idea unless the ideas, actions, or words of the few in any way contradict or offend anyone (the majority). On August 28th 1963 250,000 people decided to use their right to peacefully assemble and ask for a redress of grievances by marching on Washington D.C. to demonstrate for jobs and freedom. This was a perfect example of the government trying to censor the speech of those who may offend it. The Kennedy administration was upset with the content of a speech to be given by John Lewis because in his speech he criticized the administration for not passing civil rights laws they had promised to pass. SNCC (the Student nonviolent coordinating comity) refused to change the speeches content at first but later agreed to change it because Blake said he had waited for a chance to speak out his thoughts his whole life.