Our American democracy and our freedoms have long been models for others. For some 250 years, our ability to argue, debate, clash, and ultimately come together has not been a weakness – it has been our superpower!
The First Amendment was the first improvement to our Constitution for a reason. It ensures not only that we speak, but that we can hear one another.
Free speech is America’s secret sauce. It has fueled our economy, expanded opportunity, and made us the most innovative nation in history.
It’s no coincidence that the world’s greatest breakthroughs in technology, from the microchip to AI to the internet, happen here. Why? Because it’s nearly impossible to build technologies that answer questions in societies where asking questions can get you punished, silenced, or even jailed.
Both political parties have at times flirted with censorship – trying to control what Americans can see, say, and share. Our First Amendment stands as a shield against that impulse, protecting not just comfortable or polite speech, but speech that unsettles the powerful. That’s the point.
Franklin Roosevelt, while leading the nation through the Great Depression and World War II, famously said, “To announce there must be no criticism of the President is not only unpatriotic and servile, it is morally treasonous to the American public.”
The right to criticize our leaders isn’t optional; it’s the beating heart of American self-government.
At CTA, we’ve lived by that principle. We fought back against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) when they threatened to break the open internet.
We’ve challenged efforts to tear down Section 230, the law that protects free expression online. And we continue to stand up against regulatory overreach that risks freezing innovation and handing the future to our global competitors.
These fights share a common thread: incumbents versus innovators. Entrenched interests try to weaponize government to block the future – and innovators, startups, and consumers push back to build it. Dissent keeps us honest. Debate keeps us strong. And defending this free speech isn’t a solitary act – it’s a shared responsibility.
Our nation’s greatness doesn’t come from uniformity – it comes from diversity: of people, of immigrants, of ideas, and of perspectives. We are not a nation bound by one history, religion, or culture. But we share the belief that individual rights matter, government must be limited, and free enterprise and free expression are inseparable.
The First Amendment is our infrastructure – our invisible highway of ideas. It allows us to speak, to hear, and to listen. To challenge, but also to learn. And as we confront rapid change – AI, global conflict, tariffs, economic change – it will be tested again and again.
Our challenge is to defend the First Amendment not only in law, but in spirit – with kindness, courage, and curiosity. We can – and must! – disagree without dehumanizing. Argue without silencing.
If we do that, America will continue to shine as President Reagan’s “shining city on a hill” – its light fueled by the enduring flame of free speech.
Speech – even uncomfortable, controversial, inconvenient speech – is the foundation of all innovation, discovery, and freedom. As long as we protect the freedom to speak, we protect the freedom to think, to build, and to dream.
And that means America’s best days are still ahead.
Gary Shapiro is CEO and Vice Chair of the Consumer Technology Association, North America’s largest technology trade association. A New York Timesbest-selling author, his latest book is Pivot or Die: How Leaders Thrive When Everything Changes (HarperCollins, 2024). This article is adapted from his remarks accepting The Media Institute’s 2025 Freedom of Speech Award in October 2025.