The most dangerous man in america & the Pentagon Papers Essay

The most dangerous man in america & the Pentagon Papers - Essay Example f classified documents that showed how successive reigns remained unanswerable to the Press, the Congress, and the American people on a war that cost lives and the economy. The Pentagon Papers revealed that a constitution should maintain liberties that ensure a government is answerable to the public. For instance, the Espionage Act of 1917 had been a great defense utilized by the government to prosecute Ellsberg (Overbeck & Belmas, 2014). This act occurred alongside the constitution’s provision for freedom of expression and freedom of press. In this view, the constitution could not adequately guard the freedom of expression that the release of documents depended upon the same. The constitution, therefore, is the sole way in which the citizens and institutions such as the press can hold governments accountable for their actions. The existence of loopholes such as the Espionage Act compromises on individuals’ abilities to perform activism against irresponsible governments. This further revealed that the constitution should provide the platform for political activism, which helps restore certain privileges that the evolution of the constitut ion, in itself, has helped establish. The Pentagon Papers coincide with the foundation of the First Amendment that defends liberties pertaining to expression, religion, assembly, and the entitlement to petition. In the Pentagon Papers’ case, Ellsberg helped promote the provision that prohibits the Congress from constraining the press or suffocating the entitlements of individuals to speak freely. In a scenario of oppression, the makers the First Amendment realized that the press is the sole savior of the citizens and their rights. There, thus, was a need to protect the press as a platform for diverse opinions. In addition, the press could be a proper means of petitioning the government in upholding its responsibility towards the people and relevant institutions. The Declaration of Rights holds that individuals have the