The First Amendment

In the United States, the Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution are known. It was introduced by James Madison to the First U.S. Congress in 1791 as a series of constitutional amendments. The Bill of Rights came into effect on December 15, 1791 when about three fourths of the states were ratified. The bill of rights limits the power of the Federal government of the United States so it is protecting the rights of all of the citizens, residents and visitors on the United States territory. Now the Bill of Rights protects ten amendments and they are freedom of speech, press and religion.

Furthermore, the Court has interpreted the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as protecting the rights in the First Amendment from interference by state governments. Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. It enforces the "separation of church and state. Some governmental activity related to religion has been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court.

Therefore, here I will explain the origination of freedom of speech. Freedom of Speech, as I had mentioned before, is included in the first amendment of the Bill of Rights, which was adopted in 1791. From the start, freedom of speech only applied to the federal government, meaning that state government did not have to follow the laws of freedom of speech (Litz). This changed though after the Civil War ended in 1868. The fourteenth amendment was adopted and it stated that states may not “deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law” (Roleff).

This essay will reflect on the rights guaranteed to American citizens, and the guaranteed freedom that is most relevant to me personally. However, the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, were adopted in the United States Constitution in 1791 after the states ratified and approved them. The First amendment guaranteed freedom of religion. A person has the freedom to practice whatever religion they prefer and if they prefer not, is their choice. Congress cannot support one religion over another: freedom of speech, one has the freedom to express their opinions about anything of interest to them as long as they do not harm another person by what they are saying: freedom of press, one has the freedom to express their opinions or ideas in writing, this can include the newspaper, books, magazines, or any other printed material: freedom of assembly, one has the freedom to assemble in public places to hold meeting for a particular purpose as long as it is done peacefully.

A conclusion is drawn and outlined based on research conducted to offer a concise in-depth observation of the above topics. FIRST AMENDMENT FREEDOMS The First (1st) Amendment of the United States (U.S.) Constitution, ratified December 15, 1791, “guarantees to all Americans regardless of age, ethnicity, disability, faith, or gender, the freedom of speech, freedom of press, the right to assemble, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition Congress (Government) for a redress of grievances” (Kanovitz, 2010). However, as these types of speech are protected by the 1st Amendment, there are other kinds of speech that are not. The framers of the 1st Amendment intended for this amendment to be broad as to allow the amendment room to adapt to future changes in societal diversities as we live today (Kanovitz, 2010). In these protected rights are solid foundations that secures the opportunity to openly share ideas, thoughts, and various differences in points of view, encouraging interaction... ... middle of paper ... ...merican soil, the question remains as to how much privacy Americans really possess.

The RFRA is what it states it is in the title, a restoration act(Religious Freedom, Map of the RFRA). Congress decided that in Employment Division v. Smith, "the supreme court virtually eliminated the requirement that the government justify burdens on religious exercise imposed by laws neutral toward religion and the compelling interest test as set forth in prior Federal court rulings is a workable test for striking sensible balances between religious liberty and competing prior governmental interests. "(Religious Freedom, Map of the RFRA) In other words, the government did not have to have a reason to impose laws

The first ten amendments were titled the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights “guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. . . It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely.

It states that all laws made furthering the Constitution and all treaties made under the authority of the United States are the supreme law of the land. The Clause to mean that the states may not interfere with the functioning of the federal government and that federal laws prevails over an inconsistent state law. When some voted bills go into effect the supremacy clause will stand in place due to power over state and local laws. Supremacy Clause also was made to help when there are conflicts between federal government and state. Preemption is a process that dictates when the supremacy clause is and can be used and also when it can be implied.

Should or would have these amendments been incorporated into a Constitution written today? I believe so. Again I rely on history, the history of rights of citizens and the struggle of the people to protect these rights should and would be included today. We can not leave the obvious up to the government. Obviously all men are created equal and deserve the same rights but American history is full of inequalities, segregation, slaves, internment of Japanese, Chinese railway workers and on and on all examples of the Government acting on the obvious.

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 people be prohibited from worshipping in any way they see fit. However, if a certain religion recommends a practice that is contrary to public morals, such as polygamy, Congress may prohibit such a practice (Weidner, Daniel, 2002). The people of the United States also have the right to assemble peaceably under the First Amendment.