The First Amendment As A Component Of American National Identity

In emphasizing the uniqueness of the First Amendment, Abrams argues that it extends beyond a legal doctrine and can be considered an integral facet of American national identity. He argues this explicitly in the introduction by stating that “the First Amendment is part of the country’s ethos, its popular culture, unrivaled by any other provision in the Constitution” (xxii). This is supported by several arguments throughout the text. First is Abrams’s broad thesis that the First Amendment is unique. There are numerous authoritarian countries that do not respect freedom of expression in any significant way; their contrast with the United States is obvious. Further, the American conception of freedom of expression is unique even among democracies. While other countries, most notably in Europe, are inarguably free and vibrant democracies, their counterparts to the First Amendment do not...