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Free Speech Storyline

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Magna Carta, 1215

Magna Carta establishes a Rule of Law for the people. Read more

William Tyndale, 1536

William Tyndale executed for translating Bible into English. Read more

Anne Askew, 1546

Anne Askew burns at the stake for speaking out. Read more

Roger Williams, 1636

After being expelled by Puritan leadership, founds the Providence Plantation as a refuge offering freedom of conscience. Read more

English Civil War, 1642

English Civil War shifts power of government to people. Read more

George Fox, 1647

George Fox preaches radical Quaker thought. Read more

Mary Dyer, 1660

Mary Dyer executed on Boston Common for expressing Quaker beliefs. Read more

William Penn, 1668

William Penn sent to Tower of London for Quaker beliefs Read more

William Penn, 1670

William Penn writes “The Great Case of Liberty of Conscience.” Read more

William Penn, 1682

William Penn sails to Pennsylvania on the Welcome. Read more

English Bill of Rights, 1689

English Bill of Rights assures Free Speech in Parliament. Read more

Andrew Hamilton, Esq., 1735

Andrew Hamilton, Esq. wins first Free Speech trial in America. Read more

Declaration of Independence, 1776

Declaration of Independence separates Colonies from English empire. Read more

Benjamin Chew, Esq., 1777

Benjamin Chew, Esq becomes both patriot and traitor. Read more

U.S. Constitution, 1787

U.S. Constitution and Amendments delineate the national framework of government and individual rights. Read more

Richard Allen, 1794

Minister, educator, writer, and one of America's most active and influential black leaders. Founder of the first independent black denomination in the United States. Read more

American Civil War, 1865

American Civil War abolishes two centuries of slavery. Read more

Sigmund Freud, 1886

Sigmund Freud begins private practice of psychoanalysis. Read more

Violet Oakley, 1906

Violet Oakley completes Free Speech murals in Harrisburg. Read more

Arthur B. Carles, 1910

Arthur B. Carles shocks Philadelphia with new style of art. Read more

Martin Luther King, 1964

Martin Luther King wins Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. Read more

Robert Indiana, 1965

Robert Indiana makes LOVE during the Pop Art Revolution. Read more

Fall of the Soviet Union, 1991

Soviet Union dissolves into 15 Independent States. Read more

Free China: The Courage to Believe, 2012

Free Speech Award: “Free China: The Courage to Believe” documents serious abuse of religious and human rights in China. Read more

Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview, 2013

Free Speech Award: “Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview” promotes global collaboration and cooperation. Read more

Honor Diaries, 2015

Free Speech Award: “Honor Diaries” features women's rights advocates with roots in Muslim-majority societies. Read more

I Will Not Be Silenced, 2016

Free Speech Award: “I WILL NOT BE SILENCED” graphically depicts the beginnings of change for women in Kenya. Read more

Free Speech Fear Free, 2017

Free Speech Award: “Free Speech Fear Free” examines the lurking threat of corporate and government surveillance. Read more

Free Speech Blog

The Free Speech Blog generates original materials that highlight Free Speech heroes, historical facts, and groundbreaking discoveries made by American INSIGHT interns during their ongoing research into the history of Free Speech.

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American Insight

Free Speech Award

American INSIGHT’s Free Speech Film Festival and Free Speech Award recognize in perpetuity one film each year that best portrays an issue relevant to the core principles of Free Speech and the Rule of Law. The film is chosen from several “Official Selection” films that have been judged and selected by public consensus from films submitted from around the world.

Help support American INSIGHT and its programs such as the Free Speech Film Festival by a tax-deductible donation.

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Free Speech Storyline

American INSIGHT’s Free Speech STORYLINE presents an interactive and educational timeline of historically significant achievements in the advancement of Free Speech and the Rule of Law from the sealing of Magna Carta in England in 1215 to the present day.

Largely unnoticed for the past 200 years, this important early American history (with its advancement of individual liberties and principles of democratic government), provides a wealth of knowledge about the personal challenges inherent in building a successful democracy.

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Free Speech Archives

American INSIGHT’s Free Speech ARCHIVE preserves selective aspects of Philadelphia, American, and international history. It contains rare video footage, audio tapes, historical research, documentaries, interviews and raw unedited original materials produced and collected by American INSIGHT during its 30 year period of promoting Free Speech and the Spoken Word.

The Archive also contains a complete record and inventory of every Free Speech Award Ceremony, plus all films submitted to the Free Speech Film Festival each year.

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