Why Is The First Amendment Important

First Amendment Question In modern times we view America as a thriving nation at the top of the power rankings amongst countries. Such supremacy is found not through the weapons of mass destruction but instead in the people living in a free society. The idea of free society can be related to the first amendment found in the constitution which enforces the idea of freedom. The first amendment is vital to functioning of a free society. Justice Robert Johnson once said, “No official can prescribe what can or can not be orthodox.” In other words, no American, despite their rank or command in office, shall be the decider or in charge of the people’s freedom. It is such freedom in which causes American citizens to think in a free society which
separates us from other countries. The rights included in the first amendment, the rights and freedoms of speech, press, religion, assemble, ad petition, can be summarized as the freedom of expression.
The freedom of expression serves as the backbone to a free society and creates a space for each individual to fulfill our own goals in which we desire. The first amendment ensures the rights of individuals to express their thoughts, desires, aspirations, and the ability to communicate freely with others which together strengthens the role of each individual in society. Thus, the freedom of expression is an end in itself and should not be the subordinated to any other goals of society. Freedom of expression is also important to the advancement and importance of knowledge. New ideas are more than likely to be discovered in a nation that allows the freedom of expression. Such rights have provided as a gate way to iconic figures that are of have been able to study and share their research with the public and in turn has caused America and certain other countries to advance. These discoveries brought forward by the freedom of expression have shown why the first amendment has evolved civilizations practicing free
society. The first amendment has contributed greatly to the reasoning in freedom movements and suffrage to all citizens.
When first written such rights had been constricted to white male land owners. However changes in society as well as influential political activist which had eventually led to equality of all citizens to America. Women had achieved equality by interpreting the written rights as a value meant to be shared with women equally as it were expressed with men. In 1848, an assembly was held in Seneca Falls, New York. The women that had been a part of the assembly were determined to be equals and as an attempt towards equality had created the Declaration of Sentiments. This document launched the women’s suffrage movement which led to the nineteenth amendment. Years of controversy had long separated the states with regards to minority rights. Minorities sought to be equals as well and had made the argument by implying the literal definition of the first amendment. A strong example of minorities is the African-American race that had been supported by activist such as Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr whos, “I Had a Dream” speech served as the corner stone to civil rights to all minorities. Both women and minorities can credit the support of the first amendment because they, as citizens, were given the freedom of speech and assemble. The freedom of speech supported in a way to where these under privileged people at the time were allowed to speak their minds. The
freedom of assemble gave the right to hold certain protest in areas as long as it had been permitted, however in some cases this freedom was stripped to wear unnecessary roughness was taken upon protestors, an example being the attacks in Birmingham. Such violent actions gone without true reason is allowed to be documented and released to the public because of the freedom of press in the first amendment which had opened the eyes of Americans and helped push towards the civil rights movements. The first amendment is written to support freedom however does not support the complete freedom to do anything without providing a consequence for unlawful actions. These limits to our freedom or based on how we evolve in society as well as our interpretation of our rights, which are supported by several court cases throughout America’s history. In the case of Roth vs. United States the limit of obscenity was created. It had created the law that images of given obscenity was not to be supported in a library because it did now support any form of learning. Such limits are justified because they support the greater good and opinion of the overall public that, in this case of nudity, obscenities shall not be shared with the world but preferably expressed in the confinement of one’s own home which that in itself is a given right. In the case of Chaplinsky vs. New Hampshire the Supreme Court put a limitation on the first amendment with regards to the freedom of speech. Chaplinsky, who had been identified as a “Jehovah’s Witness,” yelled out profanities on a public street in which put down religion. Such an act was considered a hate crime as such words were considered as hate words. Words in which are only said publicly or in a speech made to put down others are seen as unlawful to the Supreme Court which limits the complete freedom of citizens. This is justified because it allows a more peaceful environment while also allowing all forms of business or religion or people to thrive without the words of others to specifically point them out and put them down. The Constitution was created so our society can build around it and learn what it means as we apply our everyday lives to how it has evolved. In the first amendment we are opened to the freedoms which we take the most advantage of. These are the rights necessary to establish a free society and with right interpretations of the amendment a society may fully function to any extent. The first amendment was written to adapt and evolve and by doing to has helped create a “more perfect union.”