What Is Freedom Essay

Definition of Freedom: What is Freedom?
When I hear the word freedom it sends chills down my spine. Because to me the word freedom means I am able to do whatever I want without anyone telling me different. To others this term means different things such as having freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, and Freedom of Assembly. To have freedom of speech means people are able to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion. Freedom of speech, the press, association, assembly, and petition: This is a set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of expression. It is the foundation of a vibrant

Throughout American history, freedom of religion has been a dynamic process rather than a static guarantee of equal rights (Dorsey 12) The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that everyone in the United States has the right to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all. Our country 's founders -who were of different religious backgrounds themselves knew the best way to protect religious liberty was to keep the government out of religion. So they created the First Amendment to guarantee the separation of church and state. This fundamental freedom is a major reason why the U.S. has managed to avoid a lot of the religious conflicts that have split so many other nations apart. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits government from promoting religion in any way. That 's why we don 't have an official religion of the United States. This means that the government may not give support to any religion. That 's why many school voucher programs violate the Establishment because they give taxpayers ' money to schools that promote religion. In 1971, the Supreme Court decided Lemon v. Kurtzman which created three tests for determining whether a particular government act or policy unconstitutionally promotes religion. The Lemon test says that in order to be constitutional, a policy must have a non-religious purpose; not end up promoting or favoring any set of religious

Imagine that you are a journalist writing a news story about a political figure who is suspected of corruption. You speak too many of his aides, former colleagues, and business associates, all who wish to remain anonymous. The government finds out about your investigation, and since it is a sensitive topic with serious problems for top officials at the White House, they attempt to legally block you from publishing it. But you refuse to comply, invoking the freedom of the press. Freedom of the press is the right to circulate opinions in print without censorship by the government. Americans enjoy freedom of the press under the First Amendment to the Constitution, which states: 'Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.