The critical point is that the Constitution places the right of silence beyond the reach of government.
William O. DouglasRead
This freedom of movement is the very essence of our free society, setting us apart. Like the right of assembly and the right of association, it often makes all other rights meaningful-knowing, studying, arguing, exploring, conversing, observing and even thinking. Once the right to travel is curtailed, all other rights suffer, just as when curfew or home detention is placed on a person.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the fundamental importance of the right to travel in maintaining a free society and safeguarding other rights.
William O. Douglas highlights that the freedom of movement is central to a truly free society. He argues that this right is foundational, as it enables individuals to engage in various essential activities such as learning, debating, and thinking. When this freedom is restricted, it jeopardizes the meaningfulness of all other rights, similar to the restrictions imposed by curfews or home confinement.
Themes
FreedomRightsSocietyMovementTravel
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a lecture on civil rights to illustrate the interconnectedness of freedoms.
More from William O. Douglas
All quotes →One who comes to the Court must come to adore, not to protest. That's the new gloss on the First Amendment.
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The great and invigorating influences in American life have been the unorthodox: the people who challenge an existing institution or way of life, or say and do things that make people think.
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I have the same confidence in the ability of our people to reject noxious literature as I have in their capacity to sort out the true from the false in theology, economics, or any other field.
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Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.
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The truth is that a vast restructuring of our society is needed if remedies are to become available to the average person. Without that restructuring the good will that holds society together will be slowly dissipated... It is that sense of futility which permeates the present series of protests and dissents. Where there is a persistent sense of futility, there is violence; and that is where we are today.
William O. DouglasRead
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