More handpicked essays just for you.
The first amendment analysis
The first amendment analysis
The importance of the First Amendment in the United States
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The first amendment, was first proposed on December 15th,1971, along with the Bill Of Rights. This amendment protects five basic freedoms in the United States. The freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, the right to assemble, and the right to petition. The first amendment was proposed to give citizens non-negotiable rights. This amendment, is the first part, listed in the Bill of Rights. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” - Bill of Rights. This means that the first amendment protects …show more content…
citizens five basic freedoms, and congress and the government must protect these laws. The first right guaranteed by the first amendment is the freedom of religion. This allows the people of the United states to practice whatever religion they wish, or no religion at all.
However, the government can monitor, or ban, religious practices such as human sacrifice. Another right guaranteed by the first amendment is, the freedom of speech. This allows people to speak up about their freedom,worries, and concerns. This part of the first amendment prohibits the government from the punishments of speaking your opinions. Although this protects you from speaking your opinions, the first amendment does not protect you from the consequences of speaking your opinion in a public setting. The first amendment also guarantees the freedom of the press. This allows people to voice their information and thoughts without punishment from the government. Because of this part of the amendment, people are allowed to voice their opinions through mediums such as newspapers, social media, tv, and online networks. Yet, printing lies to destroy others careers, (defamation) and copying other people's work, (Copyright) is illegal. A fourth right, guaranteed by the first amendment, is the right to petition. This right is a way to bring problems to the attention of the government. It allows individuals to sue the government if they feel they have been treated unfairly. The right to petition helps citizens fight for their rights,
and call out problems with the government. The final right guaranteed by the first amendment, is the right to assemble. This right allows people to form groups, as long as they are peaceful. People are allowed to protest and rally against the government, asking for change. However, with this comes some requirements. The government must allow groups to meet on public property. Also, permits for large protests may be required. On the other hand, these permits cannot be too hard to meet, and must be required for all groups. The five rights guaranteed by the first amendment are very crucial to the Bill of Rights. Over the years, many courts have dealt with interpreted meanings of the first amendment. Ruling weather acts of individuals are unconstitutional, is difficult. The first amendment was first proposed with the Bill of Rights. At first a Bill of Rights did not seem crucial to the constitution. Later on, the supporters of the constitution realized it was necessary to earn approval. American colonists first got the idea of freedom of speech from the British. However, it was not exactly the same. In British law if you said any negative comment, no matter the intent, about the hierarchy above, you could be sent to prison. But, American colonists changed it to a more lenient form of freedom of speech. Where, you can speak your opinions freely about the government. After proposing the Bill of rights, in 1971, American citizens were protected with several more freedoms. However, some people still challenged these freedoms. One case that challenged the first amendment was, Texas v. Johnson. In this case, Garry Lee Johnson burned an American flag in front of the Dallas city hall. He did this to protest Reagan administration policies. Under Texas law, flag desecration is illegal. Johnson was sentenced to one year in jail, and a $2,000 fine. However, it was still a question of whether or not obstructing an American flag, is protected by a freedom of speech, under the first amendment.
After the Revolution, the country was left in an economic crisis and struggling for a cohesive path moving forward. The remaining financial obligations left some Founding Fathers searching for ways to create a stronger more centralized government to address concerns on a national level. The thought was that with a more centralized, concentrated governing body, the more efficient tensions and fiscal responsibilities could be addressed. With a central government manning these responsibilities, instead of the individual colonies, they would obtain consistent governing policies. However, as with many things in life, it was a difficult path with a lot of conflicting ideas and opponents. Much of the population was divided choosing either the
The Fourth (IV) Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses paper, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized" (U.S Constitution, Fourth Amendment, Legal Information Institute). The fourth amendment is a delicate subject and there is a fine line between the fourth amendment and 'unreasonable search and seizure. '
The Tenth Amendment was ratified along with the rest of the Bill of Rights on December 17th, 1791, as well, unlike most other amendments, it gave rights not only to the people, but also to the state governments. The Tenth Amendment was passed in order to delegate powers to the state governments and the people that the national government does not have, this amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”
The origins of the first Amendment date back to when the Constitution and Bill of rights were first being debated and written down. Thomas Jefferson once said, “A democracy cannot be both ignorant and free.” The American settlers desired freedom and a sense of sincerity, or openness. The harsh oppression the British placed on the settlers left lasting a lasting impression on the settlers’ minds. They used their familiarity and experiences with the oppression to form the ideals of the Constitution and the Amendments. According civilliberty.about.com, the father of the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson, was somewhat captivated with the concepts of freedom of...
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. This amendment is the 8th bill of rights in the constitution of the United States of America. The death penalty is a direct violation of the constitution of the United States, and should be deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court. Although the death penalty shows justice at avenging the death of the innocent, it is not cost effective by being ten times more expensive than a criminal spending life in prison, and it violates the 8th amendment in the Constitution of the United States which is the supreme law of the land.
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments are part of the Bill of Rights which includes the first ten Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. These rights apply to the citizens of our great country. The Fourth Amendment covers search laws and has a significant impact on law enforcement procedures. If these procedural rights are not followed, there can be devastating consequences to the outcome of a case.
The first amendment states every United States citizen has the right to press, petition, assembly freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. Also, the amendment states the government is not allowed to make any law that breaks the rights of a citizen. In the case, Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969), the argument was if the students’ first amendment was violated, but the public schools are not an appropriate place to express freedom of speech.
The first Amendment of the United States Constitution says; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”[1] Our fore fathers felt that this statement was plain enough for all to understand, however quite often the United States government deems it necessary to make laws to better define those rights that are stated in the Constitution. Today the framers would be both encouraged and discouraged by our modern interpretation the First Amendment the United States Constitution.
we had no legally protected rights of free speech in anything like the form we
The Amendment I of the Bill of Rights is often called “the freedom of speech.” It provides a multitude of freedoms: of religion, of speech, of the press, to peacefully assemble, to petition the government. Religious freedom is vitally important to this day because it eliminates the problem of religious conflicts. Historically, many people died for their beliefs because their government only allowed and permitted one religion. T...
The First Amendment is crucial in protecting the five fundamental freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of petition, and freedom of assembly. The Fourth Amendment is significant for it protects the individual’s privacy from the government and from government harassment. The Sixth Amendment is valuable since it provides the legal framework of the criminal legal system and to protect the accused person from abuse of power. Of all the Amendments of the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment and the Sixth Amendment are the most
The First Amendment is the first section of the Bill of Rights and is often considered the most important part of the U.S Constitution because it guarantees the citizens of United States the essential personal freedoms of religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly and the freedom to petition the Government. Thanks to the rights granted by the First Amendment, Americans are able to live in a country where they can freely express themselves, speak their mind, pray without interference, protest in peace and where their opinions are taken into consideration, which is something not many other nationalities have the fortune of saying. The Founding Fathers were the framers of the Constitution of the U.S., and the responsible for the elaboration of the First Amendment. The majority of the Founding Fathers were enlightenment thinkers who were in love with liberty, and thought that basic political rights were inevitable for man’s nature. After having experienced the tyranny from their mother countries, the Founding Fathers carefully constructed the Constitution of the United States in a way where tyranny was avoided and a government for the people, by the people and of the people was developed, which is clearly reflected in the Constitution. At the time of inception of the United States, the Founding Fathers created the First Amendment in order to ensure that the government would not interfere with Americans’ basic civil rights. The rights outlined on the First Amendment were considered so important by these leaders that many states refused to ratify the Constitution of the United Sates until there was a conjecture of amendments that would protect individual rights in the future.
The First Amendment was written because at America's inceptions, many citizens demanded a guarantee of their basic freedoms. The First Amendment protects five basic rights. The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion,
The Bill of Rights includes several amendments describing the rights that people have as well as the things that are prohibited in our nation. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for the redress of grievances.” This Amendment lists the five freedoms that all of the United States citizens have been given. (U.S. Const. amend. I)
The first amendment is the cornerstone of our American society founded years ago by our forefathers. Without the first amendment many ideas, beliefs, and groups could not exist today. The first amendment guaranteed the people of the United States the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition. Although the first amendment guarantees us, Americans the freedom of speech, we cannot use it to cause others harm. This amendment has helped shaped Americans into what we are today, because of our right to assemble, speak freely, and worship as we please.