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What do you think about this opinion?

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NC businessman boycotts Super Bowl after NFL protests | Charlotte Observer

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An NC businessman is boycotting the Super Bowl because of NFL protests and the league rejecting an ad from a veterans group.

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What are minorities in the Military are saying?

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What are minorities in the Military are saying?

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In this week's Race/Related newsletter, we look at the national anthem, Judge Kavanaugh's record on race, the singer Kali Uchis, and more.

Please sign up here to have the Race/Related newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.
On the eve of the N.F.L. season, Nike debuted a new campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback at the center of the ongoing league protests against police violence. The announcement reignited the debate over kneeling during the national anthem, with calls to boycott Nike on the grounds that the company was tacitly supporting the protests, which have been described as unpatriotic and disrespectful to service members by critics, including President Trump.

We wanted to know how service members and veterans felt about this, so Race/Related collaborated with At War, The New York Times Magazine's channel that explores the experience and costs of war. Together, we reached out to readers for their perspectives on the debate, asking how their service and race have influenced their opinions. We received more than 400 responses. Here are some of their perspectives.

Comments from service members and veterans who are minorities on the ongoing N.F.L. protests.

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Paratroopers jump onto the drop zone at Bezmer Airbase. Credit Credit Gordon Welters for The New York Times

I am an African-American who grew up experiencing harassment from law enforcement and still to this day experience it depending on where I am stationed. Wearing the uniform only protects me when it is on.

- Uriah Hunter, U.S. Army

I'm an American of Puerto Rican descent. Black people are being treated with less humanity by the authorities. When we enlisted, we took an oath to the Constitution, not to a flag. The right to protest is one of the rights we protect. Some people attending games do not stand at attention, remove their hats, stop eating and drinking during the anthem. Why do they get a pass?

- John Garcia, U.S. Navy

As a black man and former service member with two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, the sad reality is that statistically speaking, I was more likely to be killed by a police officer at home in New York City than by the Taliban or an armed combatant in a far-off land. I have parted ways and broken ties with former comrades who I went to war with because of their foolhardy and abhorrent views on unarmed black people being wrongfully killed and their complete misconstruing of the Kaepernick protest.

These men want complacence and silence, even though we fought for and had friends who died for the right of citizens to speak freely against injustice and inequity. I realized that these same white comrades, even after sharing the bond of service, ultimately only judge and value me in the same way as their favorite black athletes: as a commodity.

- Alec Gillis, U.S. Army

I think when people say they don't kneel for the anthem, they're forgetting all the black and brown service members who served. They're forgetting the Tuskegee Airman. When my dad served, the people he felt were his friends made jokes about how they'd hang him in their front yard when he came home from fighting side-by-side with white soldiers.

- Autumn, daughter of Tuskegee airman

I am of Mexican descent. I have been on the receiving end of racial profiling by police as well as civilians. I do believe that my experiences as an "other" have affected my opinion on this issue. But I also support fellow Americans' right to peacefully protest no matter their ethnic background. I am tired of a racially divided America. I'm tired of having to worry about being attacked or profiled because of the color of my skin. I am tired of my fellow Americans treating me and people who look like me like we are all "border jumpers," or "murderers" or "rapists."

- Sarah Williams, U.S. Navy

I am a Black woman so I understand why Kaepernick protested. I am also a Retired Lt Colonel. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Kaepernick exercised his First Amendment Right and I support him. He is not disrespecting me, the flag, or the national anthem, which I sang at various functions throughout my years of service. Any military or veteran who does not support Kaepernick's right to protest is not a Patriot.

- Marsha L. Aleem, U.S. Air Force

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A protester disrupts the proceedings as President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett M. Kavanaugh, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Credit Credit J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

As an Asian you get to hear things from both sides that they wouldn't tell each other. As a liberal military member, it's the same thing. Also, being a minority helps understand privilege, the justice system, and various other aspects related to race in America. There are more important things than caring about whether or not people are kneeling. The flag is a symbol, but the people are the country. I think the individuals exercising their freedom of speech need and deserve far more respect than the flag or some arbitrary ceremony.

- Baldwin Yen, U.S. Army

He once defended a white rancher in Hawaii who opposed affirmative action.

He upheld a South Carolina law that the Obama administration said would disenfranchise tens of thousands of minority voters.

And he defended the conduct of a police officer who unzipped a man's jacket without his consent, ruling that the officer hadn't violated the suspect's Fourth Amendment rights.

This week, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, faced all manner of questioning during a rowdy and contentious Senate confirmation hearing. But his record on civil rights has received relatively little attention.

A critical report released last week by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund examines Judge Kavanaugh's opinions and rulings on matters of racial and economic inequality. The analysis is based on a review "encompassing over 300 written opinions, focusing on constitutional and statutory issues."

It is also "necessarily incomplete," the report says, because of unreleased documents relating to Judge Kavanaugh's time as a staff secretary and lawyer for former President George W. Bush. (Some of those documents have since been leaked.)

Here's a quick look at four reasons the Legal Defense and Education Fund is opposed to Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation.

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Check us out on Instagram @racerelated, where you can find fun images like this one of beach goers enjoying Coney Island. Credit Daniel Arnold for The New York Times

What does reporting on white supremacists tell us about white identity in America? We went live with writers Alan Feuer and Sabrina Tavernise, who discussed their reporting and personal experiences. Be sure to join our live conversations every Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern as we examine topics related to race and culture on The Times's Facebook page.

Join us on Sept. 20 in Portland, Ore., for an event with the activist DeRay Mckesson in conversation with Lauretta Charlton, editor of the Race/Related newsletter. Lauretta and DeRay will discuss his new book, "On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope," as well as inclusion, communities, empowerment and more. Use promo code NYTIMES for $5 off the ticket price. [ Tickets]

If you have experienced, witnessed or read about a hate crime or incident of bias or harassment, you can use this form to send information about the incident to Race/Related and our partners in the Documenting Hate project.
We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are a few you shouldn't miss.
India Gay Sex Ban Is Struck Down. 'Indefensible,' Court Says.
The ruling is a landmark victory for gay rights advocates, including dozens of petitioners who joined the case despite the threat of prosecution.

Sick River: Can These California Tribes Beat Heroin and History?
As salmon runs decline and opioid addiction grips the region, the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa tribes see a connection between the river's struggles and their own.

Naomi Osaka's Breakthrough Game
The 20-year-old is poised to burst into the top tier of women's tennis. Can she also break Japan's expectations of what it means to be Japanese?

New 'Popular' Oscar Scrapped by Film Academy for 2019
Severe blowback from the public and members of the academy prompted the decision to table the creation of an Oscar for achievement in "popular" films.

A couple of years ago, I flew to Miami for a weekend with a group of girlfriends. That's a bit of a cliché, I know, but I was in the throes of grad school and desperate to escape New York City. This was the year of Drake's "Hotline Bling," and we played it constantly. It was the perfect soundtrack as we lounged by the poolside under palm trees. These days, I'm out of grad school but still in New York City. I've turned to Colombian-American singer and songwriter Kali Uchis's "Miami" to recreate those lazy-day vibes. It's sleek like a sauntering jungle cat and cool like the city it's named after.

- Kasia Pilat, News Assistant

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Minorities in the Military Open Up About the N.F.L., Kaepernick and Nike

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In this week's Race/Related newsletter, we look at the national anthem, Judge Kavanaugh's record on race, the singer Kali Uchis, and more. Please sign up here to have the Race/Related newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox. On the eve of the N.F.L.

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What are his main points?

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Nike must have known, when it began its new ad campaign with Colin Kaepernick - who started the kneeling protests in the NFL - that it was courting controversy. "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything," the text says, superimposed over Kaepernick's close-up. Veterans, not as stoic or stiff-lipped today as we once were, have been some of the most agitated about Nike's choice, resulting in plenty of righteous indignation. The five soldiers I served with who were killed in action eight years ago in Kandahar would surely define "sacrificing everything" differently than Nike does.

But while most veterans have been measured in their responses, one strand of criticism is particularly disturbing: the notion that kneeling during the anthem is a specific affront to veterans and service members. As Kurt Schlichter, a combat veteran and contributor for Fox News, put it, Kaepernick "is targeting us. He knows what this means to us. He knows how insulting it is. He knows how disrespectful it is, and Nike is empowering it." In a Facebook group for veterans that I belong to, someone wrote: "Anyone not respecting our flag should be deported. Many veterans and servicemen and women have died and suffered grievous wounds for this flag and anthem and constitution. Have some respect." This argument isn't new: Last year the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion chastised the protests as disrespectful.
[Abdul-Jabbar: Insulting Kaepernick says more about our patriotism than his]
This reasoning is rooted in a premise that is both wrong and dangerous. If kneeling for the anthem and the flag is a direct offense toward the military, that means veterans have a stronger claim to these symbols than Americans in general do. The argument insists that American iconography represents us more than it represents anyone else.

Yet the flag is not a symbol reserved for the military. It is a symbol of the United States of America, and it belongs equally to all citizens, including Americans who kneel during the anthem, or those who wear flag shirts (which is also in violation of the unenforceable flag code), or even those who burn the flag.

If we accept the idea that the military and veterans have authority over American symbols, we enforce a very narrow minority view of America and the American experience. Our cultural fabric is as rich as it is because the American myth has been interpreted, reinterpreted, criticized, praised and challenged by Americans of all backgrounds. If the military class were the arbiter of taste and ideology with regard to our iconography, we'd have a lot more of " 13 Hours," the bogus and hagiographical Benghazi movie, and a lot less of " Stripes" or " Catch-22."

We are not an elite class of citizen elevated above our neighbors. When we start thinking of ourselves as a warrior caste, removed from the people we defend, we exacerbate the civilian-military divide. We indulge in an entitlement mentality that isn't healthy, demanding special treatment, such as discounts or restrictions on fireworks that might upset vets with post-traumatic stress disorder. The message is, You're welcome for my service .
[Nike isn't trying to be 'woke.' It's trying to sell shoes.]
We should be able to dislike something without seeing it as a personal affront. We should be able to oppose something without becoming frothy-mouthed and obsessed, as some veterans online have done over Nike's ads. We should embrace Special Forces veteran Nate Boyer's insistence that we show compassion for those we don't agree with, while also acknowledging that everyone is free to boycott and destroy their Nike gear as they see fit.

What's more, believing that we have a special claim to the flag conflicts with the fundamental values of the armed forces, which elevate service over self. Serving is an honor the American people grant us, and it is Americans - in their totality - whom we serve. This does not give us license to appropriate national symbols as our own exclusive banners. Service is a privilege, not a way to purchase greater moral authority.
Read more from Outlook: Kaepernick's Nike sponsorship shows that athletes have more power than they realize Here's the difference between Colin Kaepernick and Roseanne Barr
Follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.

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Perspective | Veterans don't get to decide what 'respecting the flag' means

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Nike must have known, when it began its new ad campaign with Colin Kaepernick - who started the kneeling protests in the NFL - that it was courting controversy. "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything," the text says, superimposed over Kaepernick's close-up.

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After doing some research on the topic, do you believe kneeling for the National Anthem is an appropriate protest?

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After doing some research on the topic, do you believe kneeling for the National Anthem is an appropriate protest?

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Read the top 3 arguments from the procon.org website

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Read the top 3 arguments from the procon.org website

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What are they?

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Refusing to Stand for the National Anthem: Top 3 Pros and Cons

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Article about the pros and cons of refusing to stand for the National Anthem.

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Do you feel this policy if a fair policy?  You can speak or type your answer.

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Do you feel this policy if a fair policy?  You can speak or type your answer.

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May 24, 2018

Close

NFL Nation

ESPN.com national NFL writer

ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013

Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008

Close

ESPN Staff Writer

Joined ESPN in 2011

New Jersey native and author of two published novels

ATLANTA -- NFL owners have unanimously approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they prefer, it was announced Wednesday.

The policy subjects teams to a fine if a player or any other team personnel do not show respect for the anthem. That includes any attempt to sit or kneel, as dozens of players have done during the past two seasons to protest racial inequality and police brutality. Those teams also will have the option to fine any team personnel, including players, for the infraction.

New York Jets CEO Christopher Johnson says the team will not discourage its players from kneeling during the national anthem despite the NFL's new policy.

NFL owners will require players to stand if they are on the field for the national anthem. Here's reaction to the new rule.

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York abstained from voting on the NFL's new anthem policy on Wednesday.

"We want people to be respectful of the national anthem," commissioner Roger Goodell said. "We want people to stand -- that's all personnel -- and make sure they treat this moment in a respectful fashion. That's something we think we owe. [But] we were also very sensitive to give players choices."

Goodell said the vote was "unanimous" among owners, although San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York said he abstained. York said that all owners that voted in the process supported the change. The policy will be part of the NFL's game operations manual and thus not subject to collective bargaining. The NFL Players Association said in a statement that it will review the policy and "challenge any aspect" that is inconsistent with the CBA.

Players are required to stand if they are on the field during the national anthem. Full story "

* NFL says no formal vote on policy "
* Answering the biggest questions "
* Players, coaches and owners react "
* Why NFL is so behind on social justice "
* How anthem rules differ across sports "
* Jets won't prohibit kneeling "
* 49ers owner abstains from vote "

Some important details remained unclear in the hours after the policy's approval, including the specific fine that teams would be subject to and also how the league will define respect for the flag.

"To make a decision that strong, you would hope that the players have input on it," Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. "But obviously not. So we have to deal with it as players, for good or a bad thing.

"I think the main thing out of all of it is that each ballclub is having open communication with the players and ownership about the issues that are going on in the community and trying to change it."

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith reacted with displeasure in a series of tweets Wednesday.

"History has taught us that both patriotism and protest are like water; if the force is strong enough it cannot be suppressed. Today, the CEO's of the NFL created a rule that people who hate autocracies should reject," Smith tweeted.

"Management has chosen to quash the same freedom of speech that protects someone who wants to salute the flag in an effort to prevent someone who does not wish to do so. The sad irony of this rule is that anyone who wants to express their patriotism is subject to the whim of a person who calls himself an "Owner." I know that not all of the NFL CEO's are for this and I know that true American patriots are not cheering today."

After spending months in discussions, and another three hours over two days at the league's spring meetings, owners said this found a compromise that will end sitting or kneeling with an edict that stops short of requiring every player to stand.

The previous policy required players to be on the field for the anthem but said only that they "should" stand. When then- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in 2016, the league had no rule it could use to prevent it. The movement drew increasing criticism from President Donald Trump, as well as many fans, who believed it was a sign of disrespect toward the flag and country.

Owners, however, had been divided on how to extricate the league from that criticism. Some owners, including the Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones and the Houston Texans' Bob McNair, wanted all players to stand. Others, such as the New York Jets' Christopher Johnson, wanted to avoid any appearance of muzzling players.

Even the seemingly simple option of clearing the field prior to the anthem was rejected by some owners who thought it would be interpreted as a mass protest or at least a sign of disrespect.

Earlier this week, the league finalized an $89 million social justice platform with players to help address "some of the underlying issues" that were under protest, said Mark Murphy, the Green Bay Packers' president/CEO.

"I think we learned from each other in order to come to a unanimous consensus," Murphy said. "We also talked a lot about our players. I think when you look back at last fall, it was difficult for all of us within the league. But one of the positives that came out of it was an improved relationship with our players."

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Goodell said the league wanted to eliminate criticism that suggested the protests were unpatriotic.

"It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic," Goodell said. "This is not and was never the case."

Kaepernick and former 49ers safety Eric Reid have both filed collusion cases against the league after failing to find jobs as free agents.

Eagles defensive end Chris Long tweeted that the policy is "fear of a diminished bottom line." Long, who is white, notably kept his hand on African-American teammate Malcolm Jenkins' back for the entire playing of the anthem before a 2017 preseason game. Long then gave Jenkins a pat on the shoulder pads and a hug when the song was over.

"It's also fear of a president turning his base against a corporation. This is not patriotism. Don't get it confused," Long tweeted. "These owners don't love America more than the players demonstrating and taking real action to improve. It also lets you, the fan, know where our league stands."

Jenkins is one of a handful of outspoken players who vowed Wednesday to carry on the cause.

"I will not let it silence me or stop me from fighting," he said. "This has never been about taking a knee, raising a fist or anyone's patriotism, but doing what we can to effect real change for real people."

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NFL owners pass new national anthem policy

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May 24, 2018 Close NFL Nation ESPN.com national NFL writer ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013 Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008 Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2011 New Jersey native and author of two published novels ATLANTA -- NFL owners have unanimously approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they prefer, it was announced Wednesday.

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In your own words, record yourself explaining the significance of this graph.  (feel free to look through the other charts and graphs)

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The world is full of data. Find what matters to you most.

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New York Times articles on Police Brutality.

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New York Times articles on Police Brutality.

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Police Brutality, Misconduct and Shootings

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News about police brutality, misconduct and shootings, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

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Why did Kaepernick decide to kneel during the singing of the national anthem?

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Why did Kaepernick decide to kneel during the singing of the national anthem?

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Answer here:

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The former Super Bowl starting quarterback's decision to go public comes while he is fighting for his football life with the 49ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He lost his starting job last season after being one of the most promising players in the NFL during his run under former coach Jim Harbaugh.

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Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem

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The former Super Bowl starting quarterback's decision to go public comes while he is fighting for his football life with the 49ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He lost his starting job last season after being one of the most promising players in the NFL during his run under former coach Jim Harbaugh.

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Why do you think we included freedom of speech and right to protest in our Bill of Rights?  What is the importance?

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Why do you think we included freedom of speech and right to protest in our Bill of Rights?  What is the importance?

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The First Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights.

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The First Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights.

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Bill of Rights

During the summer of 1787, a group of politicians, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, gathered in Philadelphia to draft a new U.S. Constitution.

Antifederalists, led by the first governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry, opposed the ratification of the Constitution. They felt the new constitution gave the federal government too much power at the expense of the states. They further argued that the Constitution lacked protections for people's individual rights.

The debate over whether to ratify the Constitution in several states hinged on the adoption of a Bill of Rights that would safeguard basic civil rights under the law. Fearing defeat, pro-constitution politicians, called Federalists, promised a concession to the antifederalists-a Bill of Rights.

James Madison drafted most of the Bill of Rights. Madison was a Virginia representative who would later become the fourth president of the United States. He created the Bill of Rights during the 1st United States Congress, which met from 1789 to 1791 - the first two years that President George Washington was in office.

The Bill of Rights, which was introduced to Congress in 1789 and adopted on December 15, 1791, includes the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

First Amendment Text

The First Amendment text reads:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
While the First Amendment protected freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition, subsequent amendments under the Bill of Rights dealt with the protection of other American values including the Second Amendment right to bear arms and the Sixth Amendment right to a trial by jury.

Freedom of Speech

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. Freedom of speech gives Americans the right to express themselves without having to worry about government interference. It's the most basic component of freedom of expression.

The U.S. Supreme Court often has struggled to determine what types of speech is protected. Legally, material labeled as obscene has historically been excluded from First Amendment protection, for example, but deciding what qualifies as obscene has been problematic. Speech provoking actions that would harm others-true incitement and/or threats-is also not protected, but again determining what words have qualified as true incitement has been decided on a case-by-case basis.

Freedom of the Press

This freedom is similar to freedom of speech, in that it allows people to express themselves through publication.

There are certain limits to freedom of the press. False or defamatory statements-called libel-aren't protected under the First Amendment.

Freedom of Religion

The First Amendment, in guaranteeing freedom of religion, prohibits the government from establishing a "state" religion and from favoring one religion over any other.

While not explicitly stated, this amendment establishes the long-established separation of church and state.

Right to Assemble, Right to Petition

The First Amendment protects the freedom to peacefully assemble or gather together or associate with a group of people for social, economic, political or religious purposes. It also protects the right to protest the government.

The right to petition can mean signing a petition or even filing a lawsuit against the government.

First Amendment Court Cases

Here are landmark Supreme Court decisions related to the First Amendment.

Schenck v. United States, 1919: In this case, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Socialist Party activist Charles Schenck after he distributed fliers urging young men to dodge the draft during World War I.

The Schenck decision helped define limits of freedom of speech, creating the "clear and present danger" standard, explaining when the government is allowed to limit free speech. In this case, the Supreme Court viewed draft resistance as dangerous to national security.

New York Times Co. v. United States, 1971: This landmark Supreme Court case made it possible for The New York Times and Washington Post newspapers to publish the contents of the Pentagon Papers without risk of government censorship.

The Pentagon Papers were a top-secret Department of Defense study of U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Published portions of the Pentagon Papers revealed that the presidential administrations of Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson had all misled the public about the degree of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Texas v. Johnson, 1990: Gregory Lee Johnson, a youth communist, burned a flag during the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas to protest the administration of President Ronald Reagan.

The Supreme Court reversed a Texas court's decision that Johnson broke the law by desecrating the flag. This Supreme Court Case invalidated statutes in Texas and 47 other states prohibiting flag-burning.
Freedom of Religion:
Reynolds v. United States (1878): This Supreme Court case upheld a federal law banning polygamy, testing the limits of religious liberty in America. The Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment forbids government from regulating belief but not from actions such as marriage.

Braunfeld v. Brown (1961): The Supreme Court upheld a Pennsylvania law requiring stores to close on Sundays, even though Orthodox Jews argued the law was unfair to them since their religion required them to close their stores on Saturdays as well.

Sherbert v. Verner (1963): The Supreme Court ruled that states could not require a person to abandon their religious beliefs in order to receive benefits. In this case, Adell Sherbert, a Seventh-day Adventist, worked in a textile mill. When her employer switched from a five-day to six-day workweek, she was fired for refusing to work on Saturdays. When she applied for unemployment compensation, a South Carolina court denied her claim.

Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971): This Supreme Court decision struck down a Pennsylvania law allowing the state to reimburse Catholic schools for the salaries of teachers who taught in those schools. This Supreme Court case established the "Lemon Test" for determining when a state or federal law violates the Establishment Clause-that's the part of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from declaring or financially supporting a state religion.

Ten Commandments Cases (2005): In 2005, the Supreme Court came to seemingly contradictory decisions in two cases involving the display of the Ten Commandments on public property. In the first case, Van Orden v. Perry, the Supreme Court ruled that the display of a six-foot Ten Commandments monument at the Texas State Capital was constitutional. In McCreary County v. ACLU, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that two large, framed copies of the Ten Commandments in Kentucky courthouses violated the First Amendment.
Right to Assemble & Right to Petition:
NAACP v. Alabama (1958): When Alabama Circuit Court ordered the NAACP to stop doing business in the state and subpoenaed the NAACP for records including their membership list, the NAACP brought the matter to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled in favor of the NAACP, which Justice John Marshall Harlan II writing: "This Court has recognized the vital relationship between freedom to associate and privacy in one's associations."

Edwards v. South Carolina (1962): On March 2, 1961, 187 Black students marched from Zion Baptist Church to the South Carolina State House, where they were arrested and convicted of breaching the peace. The Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 decision to reverse the convictions, arguing that the state infringed on the free speech, free assembly and freedom to petition of the students.

Sources

The Bill of Rights; White House.
History of the First Amendment; The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Schenck v. United States; C-Span.

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First Amendment - Rights, U.S. Constitution & Freedoms

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The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the freedom of speech, religion and the press. It also protects the right to peaceful protest and to petition the government.

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What two highlighted lyrics did you find most interesting and why?  Explain what they mean

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What two highlighted lyrics did you find most interesting and why?  Explain what they mean

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Behind the lyrics of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

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It's a song every American has heard countless times, but how much do you really know about our national anthem?

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After game 1 of the 1918 World Series, it was decided it should be played at all sporting events.  Why? What impact did the signing of the Star Spangled Banner have at the 1918 World Series?  What was going on?

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After game 1 of the 1918 World Series, it was decided it should be played at all sporting events.  Why? What impact did the signing of the Star Spangled Banner have at the 1918 World Series?  What was going on?

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Read the article about the history of national anthem sung at sporting events.

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Read the article about the history of national anthem sung at sporting events.

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The short video on the history of the flag is optional.

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The instantly-recognizable song is played before thousands of sporting events every year, but just how did the Star-Spangled Banner come to be a staple of sports in the first place? The answer, it turns out, has to do with World War I.

Baseball fans in the late 19th century might've heard live military bands play the Star-Spangled Banner at a game every so often, but the song-which hadn't yet been designated as the national anthem-wasn't really a common occurrence at sporting events. That began to change on September 5, 1918, during Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. It was an era when the Red Sox still had Babe Ruth, and the phrase " the last time the Cubs won the World Series" wasn't yet a joke. In fact, the two teams had won six of the last 15 world championship titles.

Yet even though the event featured two teams at the top of their games, the crowd was somber that day, writes ESPN The Magazine. Since entering the Great War a year and a half ago, more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers had died. And just a day before the game, a bomb had exploded in Chicago, (the city in which the game was held), killing four people and injuring dozens more. In addition, the U.S. government had recently announced that it would begin drafting major league baseball players.

All this sat heavy on the shoulders of both the players and the smaller-than-usual crowd of fans that day. But during the seventh-inning stretch, the U.S. Navy band began to play the Star-Spangled Banner; and something changed.

As the song began, Red Sox infielder Fred Thomas-who was in the Navy and had been granted furlough to play in the World Series- immediately turned toward the American flag and gave it a military salute, according to the Chicago Tribune. Other players turned to the flag with hands over hearts, and the already-standing crowd began to sing. At the song's conclusion, the previously quiet fans erupted in thunderous applause. At the time, the New York Times reported that it "marked the highest point of the day's enthusiasm." The song would be played at each of the Series' remaining games, to increasingly rapturous response. And patriotism played a part right from the start, as the Red Sox gave free tickets to wounded veterans and honored them during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner before the start of the decisive Game 6.

Other baseball parks began to play the song on holidays and special occasions, and Red Sox owner Harry Frazee made it a regular part of Boston home games. The Star-Spangled Banner officially became the U.S. national anthem in 1931, and by the end of World War II, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden ordered that it be played at every football game. The tradition quickly spread to other sports, aided by the introduction of large sound systems and post-war patriotism.

The anthem's adoption also gave way to a new American pastime, almost as beloved as sports itself: complaining about people's behavior during the national anthem. By 1954, Baltimore Orioles general manager Arthur Ehlers was already bemoaning fans he thought disrespected the anthem by talking and laughing during the song. Ehlers briefly stopped playing the anthem altogether, before relenting to pressure and reinstating it a month later.

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Why the Star-Spangled Banner is Played At Sporting Events

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The instantly-recognizable song is played before thousands of sporting events every year, but just how did the Star-Spangled Banner come to be a staple of sports in the first place? The answer, it turns out, has to do with World War I.