<P> Freedom of speech is also sometimes limited to so - called free speech zones, which can take the form of a wire fence enclosure, barricades, or an alternative venue designed to segregate speakers according to the content of their message . There is much controversy surrounding the creation of these areas--the mere existence of such zones is offensive to some people, who maintain that the First Amendment makes the entire country an unrestricted free speech zone . Civil libertarians often claim that Free Speech Zones are used as a form of censorship and public relations management to conceal the existence of popular opposition from the mass public and elected officials . The Department of Homeland Security under the Bush Administration "had even gone so far as to tell local police departments to regard critics of the War on Terrorism as potential terrorists themselves ." </P> <P> Definition and Early History: </P> <P> Time, place, and manner restrictions refer to a legal doctrine enforced under the United States Constitution and Supreme Court . The Merriam - Webster Dictionary defines time, place, and manner restrictions as "(A) restriction on the time, place, or manner of expression that is justified when it is neutral as to content and serves a significant government interest and leaves open ample alternative channels of communication . The goal of time, place and manner restrictions is to regulate speech in a way that still protects freedom of speech . </P> <P> While freedom of speech is a fundamental right, it is not absolute, and therefore subject to restrictions . Time, place, and manner restrictions are relatively self - explanatory . Time restrictions regulate when expression can take place; place restrictions regulate where expression can take place; and manner restrictions regulate how expression can take place . A restriction may occur if someone is protesting loudly in front of someone's house in a neighborhood in the middle of the night, or if someone was sitting in the middle of a busy intersection during rush hour, for example . These actions would cause problems for other people, so restricting speech in terms of time, place, and manner addresses a legitimate societal concern . Restricting this speech would be constitutional because the restrictions are content neutral, meaning they would restrict anyone from saying anything in these situations, no matter what their message is; they are narrowly drawn, meaning the restriction was examined specifically for the case in question to determine how to serve the governmental interest at stake; the restrictions serve a significant governmental interest, meaning other fundamental rights are important to citizens, such as sleeping peacefully at night or people getting to work or home from work; and there are plenty of alternative methods of communicating their message, such as writing an editorial in the paper or moving to the sidewalk at a different time in the day . </P>

What event established the basis for free speech in colonial america