convicted for displaying a red flag. The Supreme Court set the precedent and ruled that because similar to flag burning, the flag is being used in an expressive manner (Goldstein).
             The first epidemic of flag desecration in American history occurred during the late Sixties and early Seventies. Americans were becoming more and more disgusted with the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. This era is commonly known for its radical political activism. Setting the American flag ablaze was a common way for protesters to decry the Vietnam conflict (Mullins). Protesters soon realized that flag burning was an extremely effective way to express many of their anti-American views.
             The second Supreme Court case that dealt with using the flag in an expressive manner occurred with the 1974 case of Spence v. Washington. This case was very similar to the earlier case of Stromberg v. California. The case involved a protester who was arrested and convicted for displaying an American flag with an attached peace sign. Just the same as the Stromberg case, the conviction was overturned and deemed unconstitutional because the action was expressive (Goldstein).
             The earlier Spence and Stromberg cases both deal with the expressive use of the American flag, but no flag burning itself The first and most notable Supreme Court case to tackle the controversy of flag burning itself was the case of Texas v. Johnson. In 1984, Gregory Lee Johnson participated in a rally dubbed the 'Republican War Chest Tour,' which protested U.S. foreign policy. The demonstration climaxed as protesters chanted and Johnson doused the American flag with kerosene and set it on fire (Harvin). This was perhaps the most famous flag ever burned in U.S. history. Johnson was arrested and charged with violating the Texas statue 42.09 Desecration of a Venerated Object. The law states in part, "A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly defaces.. . a state or national flag." John...