First Amendment Only Applies to The US Flag?

Does the First Amendment Only Apply to the U.S. Flag?

This question gets to the heart of a double standard many heritage supporters feel. In 1989, in the case Texas v. Johnson, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag in protest is protected free speech under the First Amendment. If burning the national flag is protected expression, then surely flying a Confederate flag on your own property is protected too.

What the First Amendment Protects

The First Amendment protects citizens from government restrictions on speech, including symbolic speech like flags. The courts have long held that the government cannot ban a message just because some people find it offensive. That protection covers the American flag, the Confederate flag, protest signs and political banners alike.

There are limits. Private businesses, employers and homeowners’ associations may have their own rules, and government can control what is displayed on its own buildings and land. But a private citizen flying a flag on his own home is exercising one of the most basic freedoms Americans have.

Free Speech for Everyone

The beauty of the First Amendment is that it protects everyone, not just people we agree with. A country that only allows popular opinions is not really free. That principle is worth defending no matter which flag you fly.

Exercise your freedom with a flag from our Confederate flag collection.

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