Free Speech

From the Lascaux cave paintings, dating back to approximately 15,000-13,000 BCE, to the Sumerian cuneiform around 3,200 BCE, and the Egyptian hieroglyphs, humans have used pictures, symbols, and alphabets to immortalize their ideas. The ability to read and write was so precious that it was often reserved for those in power. When those in power limit the ability to read, write, and even speak, they attempt to restrict social, scientific, and cultural progress. The impulse in humanity's desire for innovation, truth, and free expression is a fundamental part of human nature that historically overcomes suppression. “To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.” Frederick Douglas, 1860.