Preview

Why Is The First Amendment Important

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
580 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is The First Amendment Important
The First Amendment has been and still is the most important amendment. The First Amendment gives freedom of religion, speech, press, and petition which limits government and guarantees freedom. Without these fundamental rights, America would not be the "land of the free." Without a doubt, there is something significant in each and every one of the articles of the Bill of Rights. Together they make a strong foundation to the American Constitution. However, if we didn't have one of the other Nine Articles, the impact on the country would not be as significant as if we didn't have the First Amendment.
The First Amendment starts by saying, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Freedom of religion is an essential part of our country. The freedom of religion allows us to make a choice on how we teach, practice, worship and observe religion. It is a freedom which many countries do not have and something that U.S. citizens should not take for granted. For example, in Saudi Arabia, Islam is the
…show more content…
This freedom is great for the United States. Writers may not be able to compose books or speeches without the freedom of speech and press. This liberty is one that citizens have to be careful with because although there is freedom of speech, there is also the freedom to criticize someone else's speech. Those who speak are expected to take responsibility and accept the consequences that may come with what they say. In addition to being able to speak freely, this amendment prevents the government from censoring newspapers, publications, and much of the Internet. In a country such as China, people are deterred to sharing many thoughts because their government censors the Internet and newspapers. Furthermore, freedom of speech helps the U.S. economy because there is a lot of money in the newspaper, magazine, and Internet

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the final approved version of the Bill of Rights, it lists ten amendments. The amendments were written in “broad language” but in a way, very specific as well. Even though all ten of the amendments are very important, the first two amendments are probably the most talked about, especially today in modern America. The first amendment describes that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment” of the freedom of religion, speech, press or petition against our government…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Amendment protects the rights of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to petition the Government. These rights are some of the most important rights granted to Americans. Some may argue that the First Amendment is too protective of our rights. I tend to disagree; I think in order for our country to have a written explanation of what is or isn't protected the First Amendment gets the points across precisely.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Christianity In The 1600's

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages

    It has given us the protection and freedom to live how we have for hundreds of years and allowed us to grow as a country. The first amendment is the freedom of speech, assembly and peaceful protest. Also, the first amendment protects those with religious beliefs and practices as well as those without. It prohibits favoring of religions. The second amendment is the right to bear arms and the third amendment prevents the government from forcing people to house soldiers or militia.…

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of those important amendments is the second amendment the Right to bear arms. The second amendment states: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. This is the amendment I chose to keep if the rest did not exist. One can say with respect to the first amendment is a true symbol of freedom. However, freedom is not free if one cannot protect it.…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Religion is the foundation upon which our very nation was built upon. However, we have not always had the freedoms that we enjoy today. Our founding fathers couldn't even serve the God of their choice or even have the freedom of speech. Even today we still have problems with freedom of religion. There have been many cases brought before the courts for infringement on religious freedoms such as Wisconsin vs. Yoder, Goldwater vs. Religious Rights, and Sherbert vs. Verner.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I think the most important amendment in the Bill of Rights is the first amendment. The first amendment includes freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the freedom to petition. The first amendment is the most important because it sets the foundation for our democracy and for the other amendments. For instance, the first amendment gives the right of free speech. The enables people to have a say in the government, as well as to exchange new ideas and opinions openly.…

    • 157 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Out of all of the amendments I believe like most people the first ten amendments known as the bill of rights are by far the most important. The first 10 amendments state the rights of the people, also known as the general public. The bill of rights was written in 1791 by James Madison to protect the individual rights from the government. And out of these 10 amendments I would have to say that the first amendment is the most important. This is what made the United States of America different and gave our founding fathers a dream of being their own nation and separating themselves from the rest of Europe.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The five freedoms of the First Amendment are the freedom of Religion,Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition. All of the freedoms protect us from the Government. The first freedom is the freedom of Religion, this allows anyone living in the United States To practice or choose not to practice any religion they choose. This is important because in a lot of other countries there is a certain religion you have to follow or you will be punished. The second freedom is the freedom to speech.…

    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Amendment is also the most important to the maintenance of a democratic government. It states that “Guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and press right to assemble peacefully; and the right to petition the government.” We know that America’s society today is maintained by freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law. Freedom of religion is also an important reason why many immigrants yearn for the United States. Here, no matter what ethnic group you belong to, regardless of your religious beliefs, you can enjoy the protected power.…

    • 1971 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is my opinion that the first amendment is the most vital for the rights of Americans. Through this amendment, many other rights have been established. Consider the Civil Rights movement and how African-Americans started with so few real rights and through speeches, gatherings, and protesting the government they achieved the rights that they have today. I will cover the different parts of the amendment and explain the rights they grant Americans.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I think the most important Amendment of all time would be the first Amendment. This freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and politics allows our country to be unique and protects our rights as American citizens. There are many current day issues that are driven by the first amendment. My first example I would like to talk about would be the anti-war movement. The first amendment allows we the people to protest and voice our opinions. Cindy Sheehan pleads with Bush for a meeting and accuses him of lying to the American people about Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction and its connection to al Qaeda. The first amendment protects her rights to protest and voice her opinion and not be punished for speaking her mind.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From these amendments, the very first one in my opinion, is one of the most significant. The first amendment is prevalent in modern day society because individually, we have the ability…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I picked the 1st Amendment, I know it seemed I picked the first because it was first but I read through all the amendments and I could find one I felt so strongly about. This amendment tells me I have the right to say what I want, practice what religion I want, and print what I want. This law is what I think separated us from Great Britain, it tells us the government cant tell me to be Catholic like Britain. Also this Amendment allows me to say my government is wrong and stand up for myself. Then the reason this amendment is so important to me is because it sets the ground for freedom.…

    • 115 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first amendment allows us to have opinions. The reason that Amendment 1 is more important is because it affects who we are today and it gives us the freedom of choice. The first amendment defines who we are today. It also brought many immigrants to the U.S. when they heard about America’s first Amendment.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    First Amendment Importance

    • 1784 Words
    • 8 Pages

    It has shaped the lives of millions of individuals that call our country home. My beliefs go on to say that someone reading the first amendment will think that it will protect them from anything and that they take it too lightly. With many people who oppose the Government's actions, we are not safe to say we have complete freedom of speech and press. There are many things that we are not allowed to say because of false advertisement which can place someone in serious danger. From many Supreme Court cases, I have taken note that many issues have arose from this amendment, many people who are found guilty in crime try to use this amendment as a crutch as if it’s a “get out of jail card”. That’s mostly about the freedom of speech, but I also believe that the freedom of religion is very essential. People should always have the given right to follow whatever religion that they please and not be forced into another. Imposing religion on others causing great havoc and leads to issues. Many have used these too, literally, and have started court cases over issues over certain religions putting up posters to announce their church events. Some may argue that its imposing another religion onto someone else, but I do not believe anything is wrong with doing so. As far as eliminating anything out of the first amendment, I would not do so. I do not believe anything needs to be added or taken out because all of this has been taken care of during the process of trial and error. Eliminating the whole first amendment would cause a copious amount of issues of essential basic rights that shouldn’t be taken away from us or forgotten. In order for people to truly understand the meaning and importance of this amendment, we need to go into further detail when taught about it so we aren’t getting surface deep details about such important laws which are imposed upon…

    • 1784 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays