- What We Do
- What we defend
- Have your rights been violated?
  If you face retaliation over protected speech, reach out to FIRE to learn more about how we can protect your rights.
  Submit a Case
- Make a difference
- Subscribe to FIRE Updates
  Stay up to date with FIRE's biggest cases and battles for free expression.
  Subscribe
- Take Action
  Across the nation, free speech rights are under attack. Join us in defending this essential quality of liberty. Make your voice heard and join a campaign.
  Protect Free Speech
- Resources
- College Free Speech Rankings
  This year FIRE and College Pulse surveyed nearly 63,000 students and ranked 261 U.S. colleges and universities. We use real student experiences, university policies, and speech controversies to determine the free speech rankings.
  Explore Rankings
- National Speech Index
  The National Speech Index tracks free speech sentiments in America. It is a quarterly survey component of America's Political Pulse from the Polarization Research Lab.
  Learn More
Colleges
News
Cases
Submit a Case
Newsletter

A History of Free Speech

Research & Learn

The debate over free speech is a tale (nearly) as old as time. That is the message of the new rap music video, “The History of Free Speech,” commissioned by FIRE and produced by noted emcee and academic Nathan Dufour.

From ancient Greece to censored speech: FIRE releases new rap video on the history of free speech

VIDEO

Inspired by Jacob Mchangama's Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, the video chronicles everything from ancient Greece to modern censorship and nearly three thousand years of suppression and debate in between. The History of Free Speech tells the story of the essential role free speech has played — and continues to play — in shaping everything in the modern world, including education, politics, science, and religion.

Share this selection via email