In this booklet the content and implications of the First Amendment are analyzed. Historical origins of free speech from ancient Greece to England before the discovery of America, free speech in colonial America, and the Bill of Rights and its meaning for free speech are outlined. The evolution of the First Amendment is described, and the following aspects are analyzed: the freedom of speech clause; delineation of congressional, presidential, and judicial roles; the concepts of absolute and limited freedom of speech; the people and processes involved in defining freedom of speech and abridgement thereof; and the components of a speech situation which affect our freedom of expression (content, manner, place and time). (KS)