Yes, "The idea of free speech predates the existence of the United States."
The idea of the freedom of association also predates the existence of the United States.
The freedom of association means that organizations get to exclude people from the association. Including because of their speech.
The phrase 'deplatform' rejects of the freedom of association.
Quoting from John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty", chapter IV, "Of the Limits to the Authority of Society Over the Individual"
> It would be a great misunderstanding of this doctrine, to suppose that it is one of selfish indifference, which pretends that human beings have no business with each other's conduct in life, and that they should not concern themselves about the well-doing or well-being of one another, unless their own interest is involved. ...
> We have a right, also, in various ways, to act upon our unfavourable opinion of any one, not to the oppression of his individuality, but in the exercise of ours. We are not bound, for example, to seek his society; we have a right to avoid it (though not to parade the avoidance), for we have a right to choose the society most acceptable to us. We have a right, and it may be our duty, to caution others against him, if we think his example or conversation likely to have a pernicious effect on those with whom he associates. We may give others a preference over him in optional good offices, except those which tend to his improvement. In these various modes a person may suffer very severe penalties at the hands of others, for faults which directly concern only himself; but he suffers these penalties only in so far as they are the natural, and, as it were, the spontaneous consequences of the faults themselves, not because they are purposely inflicted on him for the sake of punishment.
It is indeed possible "to extend the bounds of what may be called moral police, until it encroaches on the most unquestionably legitimate liberty of the individual", but what I'm pointing out is that you cannot simply look at "freedom of speech" as the sole or even paramount freedom under discussion.
The idea of the freedom of association also predates the existence of the United States.
The freedom of association means that organizations get to exclude people from the association. Including because of their speech.
The phrase 'deplatform' rejects of the freedom of association.
Quoting from John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty", chapter IV, "Of the Limits to the Authority of Society Over the Individual"
> It would be a great misunderstanding of this doctrine, to suppose that it is one of selfish indifference, which pretends that human beings have no business with each other's conduct in life, and that they should not concern themselves about the well-doing or well-being of one another, unless their own interest is involved. ...
> We have a right, also, in various ways, to act upon our unfavourable opinion of any one, not to the oppression of his individuality, but in the exercise of ours. We are not bound, for example, to seek his society; we have a right to avoid it (though not to parade the avoidance), for we have a right to choose the society most acceptable to us. We have a right, and it may be our duty, to caution others against him, if we think his example or conversation likely to have a pernicious effect on those with whom he associates. We may give others a preference over him in optional good offices, except those which tend to his improvement. In these various modes a person may suffer very severe penalties at the hands of others, for faults which directly concern only himself; but he suffers these penalties only in so far as they are the natural, and, as it were, the spontaneous consequences of the faults themselves, not because they are purposely inflicted on him for the sake of punishment.
It is indeed possible "to extend the bounds of what may be called moral police, until it encroaches on the most unquestionably legitimate liberty of the individual", but what I'm pointing out is that you cannot simply look at "freedom of speech" as the sole or even paramount freedom under discussion.