Reply #109: Freedom of Speech

[terrell9584]

The idea was to tamp down open hostility in the city against the occupying forces - and while men in the city might be subject to physical reprisal for insulting a soldier, prior to Butler's order women could say anything about Union soldiers to their face without any fear of reprisal

You say that his order was to keep the women of New Orleans from insulting Union soldiers. Well, last time I checked we have the right to insult anyone we want as long as we don't cross over into libel. It's a little something called the first amendment.


And why should the citizens have been required to be nice to the soldiers? As long as they weren't violating the law or actively conspiring against them they had the right to harangue them every day if they so desired. Why did they deserve to have their freedom of speech curtailed?