Essay on The First Amendment - 556 Words

The First Amendment America was built on freedom. Freedom to speak, freedom to choose, freedom to worship, and freedom to do just about anything you want within the law. America’s law was designed to protect and preserve these freedoms. The reason the United States of America came to exist was because the colonists fled Great Britain to get back the freedoms that were taken away from them by the Monarchy. In countries where Monarchies and Dictatorships rule, there is little if any freedom to speak of. Citizens of these countries are persecuted or even killed if they attempt to exercise any of the basic freedoms. In these countries there is no free speech, no right to choose government, no right to express religion, no right to own†¦show more content†¦Even in the early stages of American history there was an urge to put legally protected freedoms into written government documents. The result was the drafting of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, by James M adison. The applications of the personal freedoms described in the Bill of Rights, particularly the freedom of speech, have been challenged repeatedly in American courts of law and elsewhere. These incidents and challenges of authority reflect the defensive American attitude toward the ever-important freedom of expression and the growing significance of personal rights throughout American history. Without this amendment, women would have never had a voice in political issues. Dr. Martin Luther King would have never made his famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech that influenced millions. The press would have never been allowed to cover the â€Å"private affairs† of president Bill Clinton. The American citizens would never be allowed to protest, picket, rally, or make any attempt to influence the government. The framers of the Constitution were aware of consequences like these, and, in making an effort to preserve the freedom that America had fought so hard to obtain, added this and many other amendments to the Constitution. In American tradition, the value of the individual, and individual opinion, is held in high esteem. Free expression is the means by which consensus is reached and central authority is balanced. In this democracy,Show MoreRelatedThe First Amendment : The Second Amendment1738 Words   |  7 PagesThe First Amendment The first amendment is one of the most used amendments today. Everyone in the world uses it and sometimes takes advantage of it and most times uses it when needed to. The Bill Of Rights was created on December 15th of 1779 and was created to make some rules in the future because no one had the freedom to do anything. Most were punished if they spoke their opinion, they did not even have the right to choose their own religion. But that all changed when James Madison wrote the BillRead MoreThe First Amendment2227 Words   |  9 Pages101 May 10, 2016 PAPER 4 What I think that the first amendment is that The federal government will do nothing to prevent the expression of thoughts to the ones which are interested in listening to or studying approximately them, nor will it do anything to promote or stifle the exercise of any spiritual religion. Nor will it save you the residents from peacefully protesting or expressing dissent. Which can also suggest by way of the first amendment guarantees freedom of faith, however, there areRead MoreAnalysis of the First Amendment1687 Words   |  7 Pages1. In the First Amendment, the clause that states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion† is based on the Establishment Clauses that is incorporated in the amendment. This clauses prohibits the government to establish a state religion and then enforce it on its citizens to believe it. Without this clause, the government can force participation in this chosen religion, and then punish anyone who does not obey to the faith chosen. This clause was in issue in a court caseRead MoreImportance Of The First Amendment1114 Words   |  5 PagesThe Importance of the First Amendment When our Nation had regarded themselves as thirteen newly colonies and to separate themselves from Great Britain. Congress had imparted to the state legislature twelve amendments to the Constitution. These Amendments later became the Bill of Rights, the first basic rights that the country was founded to provide. The whole point that the Bill of Rights were made was so that new Federal Government were prevented from impairing human rights and freedom. HoweverRead MoreThe Argument Of The First Amendment878 Words   |  4 PagesThe purpose of the First Amendment is to â€Å"ensure against government intrusions on personal freedoms such as freedom of religion, freedom of the press, free expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly (Michigan State University)†. So with the first amendment preventing against government intrusions on religion could a football coach at a public high school lead the players in prayer before a game? Well the answer is no, it is against the law for schools to sponsor or endorse speechRead More The First Amendment Essay1544 Words   |  7 Pageswant within that of the law. America’s law has been designed to protect and preserve these freedoms. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. It assures citizens that the federal government shall not restrict freedom of worship. It specifically prohibits Congress from establishing an official, government supported church. Under The First Amendment, the federal government cannot require citizens to pay taxes to support a certain church, nor can peopleRead MoreCyberbullying And The First Amendment849 Words   |  4 PagesExamination of Cyberbullying and the First Amendment This paper addresses a situation in which a student notified this author that she was being subjected to bullying through another classmate’s Facebook page. A discussion of steps required by Oregon’s statutes, the Lake Oswego School District s board policies and the student handbook, will provide a basis for examining any First Amendment arguments that the bullying has raised, with a discussion of the author s First Amendment responses consistent withRead MoreFirst Amendment Paper1372 Words   |  6 PagesThe First Amendment Freedom is being breached all over the U.S and most of it is being taken away from the press. Sure the Patriot Act is killing everyones privacy in secrecy all over the US, but journalists and reporters are being put in jail right and left. The government has infringed on their rights in a way that should not be with the first amendment. It seems like the more people let the government do, the more steps the government takes to take first amendment rights from people. ForRead MoreThe First Amendment Essay1175 Words   |  5 Pagespetition the Government for a redress of grievances. The first and the most significant of the amendments to our Constitution is the First Amendment. The amendment that established our freedoms as citizens of our new confederation. The First Amendment insures freedom of speech and of the press. The First Amendment ratification was completed on December 15, 1791. This happened when the eleventh State, which is Virginia, approved this amendment. At that time there were fourteen States in the UnionRead More The First Amendment Essay1002 Words   |  5 Pagespress; or the right of the people to assemble peacefully, and to petition the Government for e redress of grievances. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The first and inargueably the most significant of the amendments to our Constitution is the First Amendment. The amendment that established our freedoms as citizens of our new confederation. The First Amendment insured, among other things, freedom of speech and of the press. Since the establishment of these rights, they have often been in question. People