McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum Brings First Amendment Pioneer To Chicagoland Schools
Assemblies inspire students to learn more about First Amendment
Chicago, April 2, 2008
The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum will sponsor a program on
the exercise of First Amendment rights by students in schools. On April 11, Mary Beth Tinker—who
in 1965 ignited controversy at her high school in Des Moines, Iowa, leading to a ground-breaking
Supreme Court decision on free speech in schools—will share her remarkable story with four
Chicagoland schools: Wheaton North High School in Wheaton, Carl Sandburg High School in
Orland Park, Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein and Community High School in West
Chicago.
“The Museum is elated that a group of Chicagoland students will have an opportunity to hear Mary
Beth’s inspiring story first-hand,” said Shawn Healy, resident scholar, McCormick Tribune Freedom
Museum. “The Museum’s goal in sponsoring these assemblies is to motivate teens to learn more
about the First Amendment and the protection it offers citizens to stand up for what is right.”
Freedom of speech is one of the most treasured and significant rights in the First Amendment. The
U.S. Supreme Court in 1969 ruled that Mary Beth Tinker’s First Amendment rights to free speech
had been violated when she was suspended, along with four other students, for wearing a black
armband to school in support of a Christmas truce in Vietnam. School officials found the armband
to be a “disturbing influence.” The students challenged this verdict in court, and their case was
ultimately appealed to the Supreme Court. Ruling in favor of Mary Beth Tinker and the other
plaintiffs, the Court created history and underscored the freedom for all citizens to express their
views. Writing for the majority, Justice Abe Fortas ruled that neither teachers nor students “shed
their constitutional rights to freedom of expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
“The First Amendment is only alive because we continue to embrace the five freedoms,” said
Healy. “However, according to a study done by Knight Foundation in 2004 and 2006, many
students today think that understanding the First Amendment is a second-rate issue. This lack of
interest and knowledge among teens today does not bode well for our nation’s future. Through
these assemblies the Museum hopes to inspire teens to understand and value the role the First
Amendment plays in protecting freedom for future generations.”
About the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum
The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum inspires generations to understand, value and protect
freedom. Through interactive exploration, visitors gain a greater understanding of the struggle for
freedom in the United States and the role the First Amendment plays in society. The McCormick
Tribune Freedom Museum is part of the McCormick Tribune Foundation family, which also
includes the Robert R. McCormick Museum, Cantigny Park and Golf, the Cantigny First Division
Foundation and five grant making programs.
A focus on children, communities and country binds the Foundation and its many parts and keeps
us true to our mission of advancing the ideals of a free and democratic society. To learn more,
please visit
www.mccormicktribune.org.