The first Amendment halts Congress from creating laws eliminating religious and individual beliefs from being published and shared in society. Milton would agree with this idea based on his beliefs in Areopagitica, where he argues freedom of the press and individualism should be allowed in society. Without freedom of the press and individualism, he believes we deprive the people of sharing self-retained knowledge and their own beliefs which could potentially be an improvement to society I don’t believe Milton would alter the language based upon Areopagitica, where he stated freedom of the press and individualism is very necessary to produce a knowledge conglomerate of society. Areopagitica is arguing the government and Roman Catholic Church is committing the actions that our first amendment protects us from our government influencing freedom of the press and individualism. Both documents represent similar beliefs limiting the government from eliminating our rights to religious practices and freedom of the press.
“They who to States and Governors of the Commonwealth direct their Speech, High Court of Parlament, or wanting such accesse in a private condition, write which they foresee may advance the public good.” Based on this quote Milton would support the United States Constitution because in his opinion the three Roman Catholic bishops was not just, when it came to publishing other people’s works in order to publish excessive amounts of their works forcing their beliefs to limit society of their ideas. The first Amendment protects the citizens of the United States from the government’s ability to make a law offending, hindering religious practices, and eliminating a religion from being established ”If it come to prohibiting there is not aught more likely to be prohibited than truth itself, whose first appearance to our eyes bleared and dimmed with prejudice and custom is more unsightly and unplausible than many errors.
Although Milton’s speech and ideas are toward Parliament and the Roman Catholic Church, I believe Milton would agree with the first amendment because based on the reading of Areopagitica he is passionate about government being involved with limiting the power of the people Milton believes that no government should get involved in the publishing of the people’s ideas about society, but believes that the individual should be able to censor themselves. Milton encourages all ideas to be sent forth into society to strengthen knowledge “Unless wariness be used, as good almost kill a man as kill a good book; who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image; but he who destroys a good book, kill reason itself” Books from other individuals outside the Catholic church being published into the society where Milton was criticizing would have allowed individuals to see a different perspective other than what the Catholic church was putting forth, therefore limiting the power of the church and increasing the power of society to conform to their own ways of life was a big to the church.
Milton realized that the church was leading society into tyranny, which was no good and is exactly the reason why Milton would agree with the first Amendment and would accept the law exactly the way it is today. Milton believed the church had nothing to do with how people live their lives and most importantly the government should not have even attempted to restrict knowledge from the people and conform them to the church’s ideas and ways of life in society. Areopagitica is a speech written about the corruption between the Roman Catholic Church and Parliament having an effect on society trying to conform their way of living to the church’s ways, Milton spreads his views through his speech stating that people in society should be allowed to practice and believe any religion they choose, also be able to publish their ideas into society.
The first Amendment is limiting the government from creating laws prohibiting any form of religious practices or exposing their ideas to society. Both documents are similar because they both are limiting the power of the government and giving the people the right to practice any religion they choose and share their ideas with society freely. In Areopagitica is a published speech meant to influence society of Milton’s views of how society should be on a more liberal level instead of heading toward tyranny, while explaining to the people how society is being operated and how should it should be operated In conclusion “Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.”
My individual belief of the impact of Milton’s Areopagitica had on society makes me reflect on the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Martin Luther King fought for African Americans freedom as the first black man who saw injustice towards minorities and choose to speak upon it, It took for individual’s such a Milton and King to notice something wrong and attacked it for the better. If these individuals were subject to other ideas we as a society may not be where we are today, Milton’s ideas in Areopagitica fully demonstrate how one intellectual mind can create and produce a forward progress in society.
