The First Amendment
In 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a set of rules known as the Articles of Confederation. From these meager beginnings sprang thirteen states and a promise of a representational government. Twelve years later congress ratified ten amendments which provided civil liberties to all Citizens, these first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. Over the years I have come to associate many of these rights to the First Amendment. The First Amendment guarantees our rights to religion, speech, press and assembly. By exploring these freedoms, I will demonstrate how this amendment is the most important to me.The First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom was influenced by the colonial practice of relative religious freedom. Pilgrims and Puritan dissenters from England seeking religious freedom formed many of the early colonies. Religious leaders such as John Winthrop, Roger Williams, and eventually William Penn arrived in the New World to promote their idea of religious beliefs based in Scripture and not political agenda. Today, we honor and respect this basic right. With the events of September 11, 2001 still exploding in our hearts and our memori
With this freedom comes rules and responsibilities. The right to assemble allows people to gather for peaceful and lawful purposes. Some took it upon themselves to lash out unjustly against a religion and will be brought to justice for their crimes. I feel the press has an obligation to inform the people of the actions of our local, state and federal governments. A powerful theme stands out in this paper. In addition to the right to assemble, the First Amendment protects a person's right to associate with others who share similar ideas, interests, and goals. But, I believe freedom of expression is what truly sets us apart from other countries. Many of these rulings are what anger most about freedom of speech. The founding fathers of the Bill of Rights, James Madison, George Mason and Thomas Jefferson made it clear that a government should function according to basic human decency and morality, not religion. Ironically, it is because of our First Amendment rights that these technologies exist. I believe we have the right to know how corporations effect our communities, environment and economy. Some feel today that the press is too invasive. The First Amendment protects the Muslim faith as it protects all faiths. Freedom of expression promotes thinking, it promotes exploration and it promotes sharing of information that some day will lead to new technology, unexplored worlds and cures for many forms of disease.
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Acceptance Essays
