First Amendment Rights

             On June 21, 1788 Congress ratified the US constitution. This historic document contained the powers that congress would have under this democratic government. The first amendment specifically details several powers that would be excluded from this list. The first amendment states "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." In other words, this amendment gave any citizen of the United States the right to free speech, freedom to practice any religion they choose without fear of persecution, the right to freedom of the press, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to petition for a change in government. No where in the constitution does it say these rights only apply outside institutions. Yet, in our society today many types of institutions directly violate our first amendment rights without any penalty. One of the more obvious of these institutions are schools. Many of the schools are even funded by the government. In school, if a student utters anything that a teacher could perceive as being disrespectful, that student is subject to disciplinary action. While this seems well and good, it contains two major faults. First, it brings the teacher's judgment into play. This could allow a teacher to target certain students by holding them to different standards. The second fault is it violates the first amendment. This student, under the constitution, is allowed to express himself through his words, which is what he has done. His comments may not have even been directed toward the teacher. Yet, the school punishes him for this. The school has directly violated his constitutional rights. Another example are obscenities. While they are vulgar students still have a right to say them. Once...

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First Amendment Rights. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 14:10, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/32282.html