Newseum: The Iconic Banner

During my two and a half hour visit to the Newseum on Friday, I came across, what is now my favorite exhibit of the entire museum, the Cox Enterprises 1^st Amendment Gallery. Encased in five glass cases were the five fundamental freedoms, what James Madison called “the great rights of mankind.” The one image that resonated with me most was a sign, hung high above the last case and off to the right:

While taking Dr. Sharkey’s POSC420 Constitutional Law class last semester, we discussed various Supreme Court cases, which included Morse v. Frederick. It was a court case where a high school principal suspended Joseph Frederick for displaying his banner across the street from the school. I found the case interesting because of the Tinker case relation and the outcome of this particular case. The simplicity of duck tape and white paper created this iconic banner. It was exciting to see something, that was so easily made yet had a huge impact on the Supreme Court and it‘s community, up close and personal. Who knew that is all it would take?