Argumentative Essay: The First Ten Amendments In Public Schools

The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787 with twenty-seven amendments. The first ten amendments were adopted and ratified concurrently and are known as the Bill of Rights. The first amendment of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. This amendment also forbids Congress from oth promotion one religion over another and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It ensures freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely, but what happens if a student speaks freely about illegal substances while attending a school-supervised activity? This is where the first amendment can become more complex. Back in 2007, a senior at Juneau-Douglas High School named Joseph Frederick unraveled a banner saying “Bong Hits 4 Jesus”, a slang

He then sued under 42 U.S.C 1983, the federal civil rights statute. In court, he tried to argue that he was not at school because he walked across the street and directed his banner toward the school. Frederick also tried to argue that this was not a school speech case, but this was later rejected (Cornell, 2007). Throughout this court case, the question of does the First Amendment allow public schools to prohibit students from displaying messages promoting the use of illegal drugs as school-supervised events, was inquired. The difficulty with this court case is whether or not the student had a right to express himself by holding up this poster or not. I believe he had no right to try to encourage others to use illegal drugs, especially if those students were younger then him. Throughout this case, Tinker v. Des Moines was a huge factor because this stated that students do not discard their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse