Preview

First Amendment Paper Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1386 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
First Amendment Paper Essay Example
The First Amendment
Freedom is being breached all over the U.S and most of it is being taken away from the press. Sure the Patriot Act is killing everyone's privacy in secrecy all over the US, but journalists and reporters are being put in jail right and left. The government has infringed on their rights in a way that should not be with the first amendment. It seems like the more people let the government do, the more steps the government takes to take first amendment rights from people. For instance the secret spying on people from government organizations, the quiet protest of a man who was brutally beat and sent to jail, the beginning of punishment comparison to a communist country, and the severe punishment of a man who would did not do anything but cover up his sources. This and many other acts of government is what is tearing down the foundry of this country. Now it is nearly impossible to protect privacy with the government spying on us without our consent.
"Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that since shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 the National Security Agency, whose mission is to monitor the communications of foreigners outside our borders, has been focusing its futuristic spy technology on Americans." The spying that should shock everyone all over the US. Now people cannot even talk on the phone or talk online without some government official spying all over the place. The first amendment is only a tool; if no people use it then the government does not have to follow it. The government wants to protect people by listening to everyone trying to catch terrorists, but it should not be at the cost of freedom. "The electronic eavesdropping was conducted under orders from the president…" The president is a major source to this dilemma. He is taking away the rights of people who are not there to stop him. "The president himself even summoned Times officials to the White House to persuade them not to go ahead with the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Sixth Amendment of the Bill of Rights contains seven clauses that protect the rights of the accused. The amendment assures the accused that “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.” (U.S. Const. Amend. 6) One of the most important parts of this amendment is the right to counsel. The right to counsel guarantees the accused is provided with an attorney who is both competent and well – versed in the law. In this day and age, even the defendants that cannot afford counsel are provided with public defenders.…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 2001, people are quick to dismiss the idea of an internment of American citizens, suggesting that the country has come a long way from 1942. The hypothesis that the government might conduct surveillance or use illegal wiretaps to monitor groups or individuals that it suspects of domestic terrorism seemed foreign before September 11th, and now has become a way to gain more information about potential suspects. These new measures, included in the USA Patriot Act, delicately trace the line between national security and civil liberties. A brief look at how the Bush…

    • 522 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is said that it is necessary to infringe upon civil liberties during wartime. For example, Abraham Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus during the Civil War. Similar to that situation, there was a multitude of violations on civil liberties during the first world war. This is due to the fact that before being able to officially enter the first World War, it was necessary for the United States government to rally a lukewarm citizenry into a pro-war spirit. Once achieved, it was mandatory to maintain enthusiasm for the war until peace was reached. The United States government decided that in order to do so, it was necessary to violate the civil liberties of those who were perceived as public enemies: German-Americans, war opponents,…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ambrunee: All the turmoil, yelling, screaming and arguing going on right now in our country is proof of how great of a country America is. In America, we truly have the freedom of speech.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Patriot Act was designed to try and eliminate acts of terrorism on the United States. This act was signed in 2001 by president George W. Bush. Just weeks after the terrorist attacks on 9/11(NBCNews). The Patriot Act allows for the government to identify terrorist. “This is done by wiretapping and monitoring text messages and phone calls’’(Diamond).I am not saying that are civil liberty aren't important but when it comes to keeping our citizens safe then this is the only choice. People who have nothing to hid should have no problem with the government monitoring them for the sake of people's lives. The patriot act has allowed for at least 50 terrorist attacks against the United States to be foiled since 9/11.(Johnson) This Act is doing…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise therefore, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peacefully to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Being the first amendment to our Constitution, our founding fathers saw the importance of giving the citizens the freedom of speech, but this is not absolute because it has certain limitations. Despite these limitations, it was determined that the first amendment was critical to having a true democracy. The question of what is ethical can be subjective, thus rendering different answers depending on who you ask. This type of volatility can lead to a less stable democracy;…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    4th Amendment Essay

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Bill of Rights is a hallowed and sacred document. Too many, it represents the core of the democratic institutions that make America such a desireable place to live in. Indeed, the legal protections afforded by the Bill’s amendments were and still are to some degree, unprecedented in the world we live in. But, despite the lofty mythos surrounding the awesomeness of the Bill of Rights, there exists substantial controversy over the interpretation of some amendments. Namely, the 2nd and 4th amendments; the 2nd amendment assures the right to bear arms and maintain a well regulated militia, and the 4th amendment prohibits searches and seizures of property without probable cause. Many soon-to-be voters from Kent Denver’s student body agreed that,…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    4th Amendment Essay

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Issues About the Fourth Amendment 1. Introduction The bill of rights is the name of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. James Madison wrote The 4th Amendment is about people having the right to have privacy and feel secure in their persons, houses and not having unreasonable searches and seizures, and one shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause. In other words, the 4th amendment is about having privacy, no one is allowed to search you unless there’s a warrant.…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Second Amendment Essay

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “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” (law.cornell.edu). These twenty-seven words are the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Where did this amendment come from? How did the founding fathers of the United States come up with this? This paper will show the foundation of where the Second Amendment came from, how it became an amendment, and what happened after the amendment went into effect.…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When the Constitution was written, it was not the intent of the authors to assure human rights to its citizenry, it was written in order to set up a federal government that would allow the United States to be a self-governing entity, and to put in place a system of government that would serve the citizens of the country in the way that they saw fit. After the ratification of the Constitution in 1787, “people soon began to notice that it did not list many of the personal liberties (individual rights) that they had come to believe were theirs.”(Cullop, 1999) At the behest of some states the first ten amendments were added to the Constitution that protected the personal rights of the citizens called the…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fourth Amendment Essay

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In 1928, Justice Louis Brandeis wrote in his dissenting opinion “the greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding”. The men of zeal, described by Brandeis, were police officers trying to enforce the Prohibition Act. He would never have been able to fathom the modern men of zeal fighting the “War on Terror”. The modern era has carried questions of how far the Fourth Amendment and the right to privacy should and does extend to protect the rights of the individual. With advancing technology, there are more legal lines to be drawn in the sphere of privacy as well as determining how far the Fourth Amendment extends. Some of these topics include government watch lists, mass…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first amendment states that congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. These rights are human given rights which all citizens of the United States are guaranteed, but in the past and still today these rights are being violated. Currently, the first amendment is at risk in our society because the government and people with power are trying to restrict the citizen’s rights of freedom of speech, religion, and the right to protest.…

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The First Amendment protects the right of citizens to their freedom of speech. There are ways that those freedoms can be taken away. Limitations to this law can be at the work place, when something obscene is said, threats and many others. One way your rights can be limited is when you are convicted as a felon. You often loose many of the rights as a felon, including the right of the second amendment to own a gun. Lester Packingham was convicted as a sexual offender in 2002. He was caught using a Facebook in North Carolina. In North Carolina there is a law to prevent sexual offenders from being on sites like Facebook and other social media sites that minors use. Packingham believes this to be a violation to his First Amendment rights. However, in the case of Packingham there is a government interest to limit his First Amendment right.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Who knows the First Amendment by heart? Word for word? [Rhetorical Question] I did not and I still do not. I just know that the First Amendment gives us the right to express ourselves, at the right time and place. School should be a safe place where students, like us, can come and feel free to learn and share our opinions without any disruptions or negative comments. If such things are executed in class, it should and will call for suspension. But I am not saying that our rights are taken away when we enter school property, that is far from what I am saying. This important constitutional right that is used in our everyday lives is not absolute. The Supreme Court has gone back and forth, and back and forth [Repetition], trying to come to an agreement about what is a “reasonable” act of expression in school and how far is too far. Now, some may argue that developing such policies of limiting an individual’s ability to express themselves freely is a violation of the First Amendment [Concession][Ethos]. But when a conflict arises about which is more important, protecting the interest of the community or safeguarding the rights of that…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Second Amendment Essay

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One of the most highly debated amendments of the United States Constitution is the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment has been disputed for hundreds of years on exactly of its exact true meaning. The United States Constitution wrote the Second Amendment as “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."…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays