The mission of the university is to advance wisdom and share knowledge and innovation with the world so society may continue to progress. The university is meant to be a haven for free speech; a refuge from the sways of ever changing politics and the 24 hour news cycle, a place where ideas are shared, challenged and revised openly and honestly. Only when universities are steadfastly committed to the freedom of speech of their students and the academic freedom of their faculty can we ensure we are advancing authentic and accurate knowledge. Society relies on our universities to serve this mission, without universities, society ceases to progress with new innovations and produce ideal democratic citizens. The evolution of the modern American university began in the early twentieth century with the formation of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and their subsequent Declaration of Principles of Academic Freedom. Undoubtedly, restrictions on freedom of speech and academic freedom on campus have fluctuated in the past century, but the purpose of the university, for our democracy and our world, has never ceased. Most recently, new concepts of safe spaces, trigger warnings and DEI education have proven adversarial to free expression and inquiry. That is not to say these concepts do not have a place on college campuses, DEI and student’s emotional well-being are important to the functioning and advancement of universities. However, their implementation and practice on campus today have been prioritized at the cost of limiting free speech. Administrations are placing greater value on keeping students “comfortable” than challenging students to take on controversial ideas about the most important questions of our time. In this paper, I seek to answer the following questions: How did American universities and colleges arrive at this precarious place and how do we get back?