The first amendment of the constitution is the right of free speech; throughout our history the first amendment has been interpreted in a number of ways. Despite this fact all Americans agree that this is one of our most important rights, and lays the foundation for our nations core beliefs. The first amendment is a short statement
“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)
Though it holds a great deal of power, it upholds strong personal values, and sets a precedent for the future of our country. The only problem …show more content…
They shun older government structures such as monarchies, even though monarchies are newer and are based on more modern principles. I am not advocating for monarchies what so ever, I just wanted to point out that even though democratic principles are extremely older than dynastic principles, we have found ourselves going with an older methodology. This shows that humans may revisit certain ideologies from the past, and this can be a very good thing in some cases. Hate speech laws could impede our civilization from accessing some of these old principles because they are somewhat offensive to a certain person/people. People should have the inexcusable right to self determination that our forefathers imagined we should have. People who agree with the creation of speech laws simply do not have a proper sense of American freedoms. Americans are often touted as being ignorant and blunt in some regards, but at least we have a very strong cultural foundation in freedom of speech unlike some countries in Europe who have very strong hate speech laws that could land them in jail if they say something that is deemed as offensive. These countries will ultimately come to realize the problems with these laws and the people living within these countries will yearn for such beautiful freedoms that our constitution provides us. Therefore, it is clear to see why our society should take this topic very seriously, and we should not cooperate with anyone who try’s to limit our freedom of expression in anyway whatsoever, and if people don’t respect that than they have the right to form an argument against it, because their right to free speech is
The Supreme Court is WRONG!! Engel v. Vitale (pg. 757) Engel v. Vitale. Majority of people have never heard of this Supreme Court case. However the impact that this Supreme Court case had was tremendous.…
Texas vs. Johnson (An analysis of the supreme court case Texas vs. Johnson and the current repercussions of the decision) The first amendment protects many of our basic rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, etc. The framers of our constitution left a broad wording to leave room for our country to grow and change as time went on. One of the adjustments our country has made over time is to define the actions and words protected under the freedom of speech. There are three basic categories of free speech; pure speech, is communication only through words, speech plus is speech plus an aid such as a sign or a chant, and symbolic speech, an action that communicates meaning without the use of words.…
The first amendment states that the people are granted freedom of speech. However, people are always questioning to what extent that amendment is applied to things. In Citizens United v. F.E.C., the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the government to censor political broadcasts for elections that were funded by corporations or unions. The Supreme Court ruled incorrectly in Citizens United v. F.E.C. because corporations are not a single person. Their power drowns out the voices of the people and they have an unfair advantage because they have a lot of money.…
“The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, or more appropriately, the first eight, are called the Bill of Rights.” (Kanovitz, 2015, p. 20) The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, right to petition, and right to assemble. Although many believe that the first amendment gives full protection, there are certain limits placed upon it. Freedom of speech has limitations when it comes to obscenity, inciting immediate unlawful action, and using fighting words.…
Freedom of speech is both right and privilege that we can neither take it for granted nor back away. It’s important to find a middle ground where we can hear one another, where we can debate and disagree with respect. People in America have learn that is good to have an opinion and that you opinion…
Few of the amendments of the Constitution of the United States of America are interpreted as when it was first drafted such as the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment has been alternating within time to continue serving justice to our people. Many court cases prove the growth of the amendment. During the British rule amongst the colonies, officers possessed a Writs of Assistance to propose a tax among the people which lead to smuggling. The Writs of Assistance allowed officers the right to intrude the homes of the colonists.…
The Fourth Amendment is the leading(as in the best amendment) amendment out of the 15 amendments. The Fourth Amendment conserves American rights the most, It protects them from personal stuff being searched, personal belongings taken away and violation of privacy. Many people believe” Now the right to life has come to mean the right to enjoy life, -- the right to be let alone." - Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis, 1890.”…
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution is probably the most important, and yet perhaps the most misunderstood and controversial in its interpretation, of all the amendments. Actually, it was considered so important that there was no debate at the time it was presented. It embodies some of our most important ideas about the meaning of liberty and freedom. Isidore Starr, who is recognized as a leader in the fields of law-related and citizen education has stated, “remove the First Amendment from the U.S. Constitution and you strike out the very means of testing the other rights and protesting abuses of government.”…
Colleges always face a lot of scrutiny when it comes to how they are run. In recent years, the First Amendment has come into play on campuses across the nation. Many articles have been written defending both for and against restrictions, defending the use of trigger warnings in class, and explaining what this controversy is really about. While the colleges themselves have the power to choose what they do, they must consider what experience they want to provide for their students. What is Free Speech?…
Our Founding Fathers established the foundation of our country considering the diversity among the people- a nation of immigrants. Settlers came to the New World to escape religious persecution, a corrupted government, financial turmoil, or just to establish a better way of life and pursue a desirable quality of living. The people of this nation fought for what they presumed, and later declared, as their natural rights as human beings; “[t]he sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power” (Hamilton). The First Amendment is important to protect…
Homepage: 3 ways the U.S. Constitution Protects My Daily Life The First Amendment protects the right of the people peaceably to assemble. The First Amendment affects my life on a daily basis in that when I feel that my rights or that something I stand for is being violated, I am able to assemble with others in protest. The First Amendment also protects a person’s freedom of religion.…
Everyone in the U.S. has the same rights no matter what they look like or do. This is why United States of America is one the most flourishing countries in the world, because of it’s freedom. Of course, these privileges had to come from somewhere, and that is the Bill of Rights. On September 25, 1789, ten amendments were ratified by the congress of the United States. These Bill of Rights were created to protect the rights of the people.…
The First Amendment? America, a country that used to be defined by bad asses and strong leader, now is defined by the sensitive and stupid. When and if we have a society built of people afraid of answering the hard questions what will we be? People need to speak their minds and stand up for what they believe in. limiting what and where certain topics can be spoken is very unconstitutional. We need to come together as a country so we never have to deal with that problem; because, if we don’t we could see the end of the first amendment and may end up giving away the rest of our rights.…
The first amendment states the five general freedoms of an American citizen: freedom of speech, religion, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government. On occasion we neglect these write that others have, and we forget the rights that we have. First part of the amendment is the right to free worship and speech. These two rights are relevant in our society today for the reason that it gives us the opportunity to stand up for what we believe in, without being persecuted. We as Americans are lucky to worship freely and speak for what we think is right, Others in countries around the world do not have the privileges we have under killed for sticking up for themselves.…
Despite my praise of the first amendment, there are reasons why someone would be opposed to its importance or it’s concept in general. I’ve actually already gone over one of the reasons. Freedom of speech and assembly can be a double-edged sword. People can campaign and spread…