Tinker v Des Moines By Ben Reimer and

Tinker v Des Moines By Ben Reimer and Connor Mundy

Background Information The case Tinker v Des Moines Independant School District. In December 1965, a group of students in Des Moines held a meeting to plan a public project showing their support of the truce of the Vietnam War, which was currently going on during this case. They had decided to wear black armbands and to fast on December 16 and New Years Eve. The students’ school had learned about this, and had decided to make a rule that outlawed students from wearing these black armbands to school, and refusal to do so would result in suspension. One day Mary Beth Tinker and Christopher Eckhardt wore the armbands to school and were sent home. The next day, Mary Beth’s brother John, had worn one and none of the children had returned to school until after New Years Eve, the planned end of the protest. Their parents had sued the school because they said it violates the first amendment’s freedom of expression.

Essential Question The essential question of this case is: “does a prohibation against the wearing of armbands in public school as a form if symbolic protest, violate the students’ freedom of speech? ”

Costitutional Principles This violated the first amendment, freedom of speech, because the principle did not allow the students to wear the armbands, and the armbands represented the truce in the vietnam war, and it violated the 14 th amendment, which protects citzens from the state and it’s creatures, and in this case, the creature was the board of education.

Outcome Tinker had one the case 7 -2. The court said that armbands represended pure speech. They also said that the students did not lose constitutional rights when they stepped on school property. The majority opinion was by Abe Fortas.

Impact on US This case impacted the US because future cases about the first amendment will probably use this as a reference because it did violate the right of free speech.

Bibliography • https: //www. google. com/ • https: //www. oyez. org/cases/1968/21 • https: //supreme. justia. com/cases/federal/us/393/503/case. html • http: //www. writeopinions. com/freedom-of-speech • https: //kids. britannica. com/kids/assembly/view/170308 • http: //dxndiamond. com/dxn-usa/ • http: //addictiveblogs. com/classic-eagles/ • https: //constitutioncenter. org/blog/tinker-v-des-moines-protecting-student-free-speech • http: //tinkerdesmoinesproject. blogspot. com/2015/ • http: //www. quickanddirtytips. com/relationships/professional/how-to-deal-with-people-who-ask-lotsof-questions